The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed anti-abortion legislation that critics charge is a continuation of the Republican-led war on women.

Called the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, H.R. 7, as Naral Pro-Choice America's blog explains, would affect millions of women, as it would

permanently block abortion coverage for low-income women, civil servants, D.C. residents, and military women, it would also impose tax penalties on small businesses that choose private health plans with abortion coverage and effectively ban abortion coverage in the state health-insurance exchanges - a radical new restriction that could jeopardize the availability of private insurance coverage of abortion for all women in all private health plans nationwide.

The resolution passed 227 - 188, with six Democrats joining the Republicans in support of the vote.

"H.R. 7 is a reflection of a Majority that is out of touch with the American people, and struggling to understand fundamental truths about reproductive health—and we really mean struggle," Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) said on the House floor.

"Yesterday, we saw two visions for America play out on the House Floor – President Obama and Congressional Democrats' vision for economic opportunity and jobs, and the House Republicans' vision for telling American women what they can and can't do with their bodies," Slaughter added in a statement issued Wednesday.

"This extreme legislation was originally sponsored by a man, originated from a subcommittee composed of 13 men, and was passed out of the Judiciary Committee with the votes of 21 Republican men. This has been the problem for a long time – men in blue suits and red ties determining what women can and should do when it comes to their own health. It’s time to get government out of the business of taking away women's health care rights and into the business of expanding economic opportunity for women," Rep. Slaughter stated.

__________________