Press Release: 2021-10-19

Senate Appropriations Committee Introduces Historic Spending Bills That Would End Several Abortion Bans and Include Significant Funding Increases for Family Planning, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

Senate Appropriations Committee Introduces Historic Spending Bills That Would End Several Abortion Bans and Include Significant Funding Increases for Family Planning, Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs:   

For Immediate Release: Oct. 18, 2021

The Bills Do Not Include the Hyde and Weldon Amendments 

WASHINGTON — Today, Sens. Leahy (D-VT), Murray (D-WA), and Van Hollen (D-MD) introduced key spending bills that would mark historic progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as critical investments in family planning and other important health programs. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill would end the Weldon Amendment and the Hyde Amendment. The bill proposes $500 million in Title X funding, $136.8 million for the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, and $237 million in funding for programs that address maternal health outcomes. It also proposes to eliminate funding for harmful, ineffective abstinence-only sex-ed programs. The Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) bill would end the D.C. Medicaid coverage ban and the abortion coverage ban in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Collectively, these bills make incredible progress on reproductive health, rights, and justice issues.

This comes as state politicians continue to attack abortion rights across the country. In Texas, the unconstitutional six-week abortion ban is still in effect and Arkansas could enact a copycat law in a matter of weeks. 

Earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed historic appropriations bills with no abortion restrictions or coverage bans. 

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

“As states across the country attempt to restrict our reproductive rights, it is critical that the federal government enacts policies that protect and expand access to safe, legal abortion. The bills introduced today are an essential and historic step. Eliminating the Weldon Amendment, Hyde Amendment, D.C. Medicaid coverage ban, and abortion coverage restrictions for federal employees is long overdue. The Hyde Amendment and other related abortion coverage bans disproportionately impact people with low incomes, communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and those living in rural communities. 

“We are thrilled that champions for sexual and reproductive health in the Senate — including Senators Leahy, Murray, and Van Hollen — are leading with their values and have put forward these critical bills that promote health equity. The increased funding for key health care programs, including the Title X family planning program and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, will make a tangible impact for millions of people. Planned Parenthood will continue to advocate for a federal budget without any abortion bans or restrictions and with sufficient funding to meet the needs of our communities.” 

The Weldon Amendment threatens state and local governments that seek to protect or expand abortion care or coverage with the loss of federal health dollars. It also emboldens health care entities to use personal or religious beliefs to deny access to abortion. 

The Hyde Amendment is a discriminatory policy that has cut off equal abortion access for generations. For over four decades, it prohibited millions of people with Medicaid from using their federal health coverage to access safe, legal abortion. Because of centuries of systemic racism and bias, Medicaid disproportionately serves Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities —  people who already face other barriers to care and economic advancement. This year, the Biden-Harris administration became the first administration in decades to exclude the Hyde Amendment from its presidential budget. 

The D.C. Medicaid abortion ban, also known as the Dornan Amendment, prohibits the District of Columbia from using locally-raised tax dollars to cover abortion for people enrolled in D.C. Medicaid. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 93% of D.C. residents whose access to abortion is restricted by the abortion coverage ban are Black and Hispanic.

The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program abortion coverage ban blocks federal employees from accessing health insurance plans that cover abortion. No employers, including the federal government, should be allowed to interfere in an employee’s personal health care decisions.