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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene delivered the following remarks on the House of Representatives today, voicing her opposition to legislation that would create sweeping new restrictions on reproductive health services for women across the country. The bill (H.R. 7) passed the House by a vote of 242-179, and it now heads to the Senate for further consideration. DelBene’s speech, as prepared for delivery, is below:

“Thank you, Madam Speaker. I rise in strong opposition to the bill. 

“H.R. 7 is yet another direct attack on women and families. It creates sweeping new restrictions on abortion coverage for women who purchase insurance under the Affordable Care Act – with no meaningful exception to protect a woman’s health. And experts predict that it could cause many insurers to limit women’s health options in their plans altogether.

“This bill injects ideology into personal medical decisions and puts politicians, rather than doctors, in charge of women’s health care. Instead of this extreme legislation, Congress should address the real challenges facing women and families today.

“At a time when 42 million women are either living in poverty or on the brink of it, Congress must do more to help. We should be focused expanding access to childcare, providing workers with paid sick leave, and ensuring women earn equal pay for equal work.

“This bill does none of these. It fails women and their families, and I urge my colleagues to vote no. I yield back.”

Today’s legislation would deny premium tax credits to women if health insurance they purchase through the Federal or State health exchanges includes abortion coverage. It would also create burdensome new regulatory requirements that could lead insurers to drop abortion coverage from plans altogether.

Earlier this week, DelBene again helped introduce the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 448) to ensure women across the country have access to a full range of reproductive health services, regardless of where they live.

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