Tag: joe pitt

The debate presently underway on the floor of the House on House Bill 358 is about abortion but also about government overreach. Republicans who support Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts' bill say the Affordable Care Act passed last year would force taxpayers to fund abortions and pro-life health workers to aid women who have had abortions or want abortions. Democrats say Republican lawmakers are forcing their views on women making personal decisions about their health and that the bill would make it very difficult for women, particularly poor women, to find even private insurance plans that provide coverage for abortion.

Colorado Representative and head of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus Diana DeGette is surprised to find herself doing heated battle on a number of fronts in the war over abortion rights this early in the year. This session of Congress was supposed to be about jobs and the economy, she has said, but the new Republican majority right out of the gate has gone full steam ahead with two bills aimed at expanding restrictions on federal abortion funding while, outside of Capitol Hill, conservative media activists have launched an attack on Planned Parenthood, using cut-and-paste undercover videos to spur Congress to slash all federal aid to the organization.