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For Immediate Release
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Ted Miller, 202.973.3032

New Bill, New Problems for Anti-Choice Politicians

Attempt to modify rape-related provision in one anti-choice bill now allows hospitals to refuse to provide life-saving abortion care for women

WASHINGTON

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said the anti-choice House leadership's decision to modify a provision that would redefine what constitutes rape will create even more problems for Speaker John Boehner and other anti-choice members supporting this agenda.

Even as they attempted to modify this rape-related provision found in two pieces of legislation, H.R. 3 and H.R. 358, these lawmakers inserted a new provision on page six of H.R.358, sponsored by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.), that would allow hospitals to refuse to provide abortion care when necessary to save a woman's life.

"Anti-choice politicians have gone from redefining rape to denying abortion care to women who will die without it," Keenan said. "When it comes to attacking women's freedom and privacy, these politicians know no bounds. This debate is just getting started. Any member of Congress who has signed his or her name to this agenda must be held accountable for such extreme attacks against women's reproductive-health services."

NARAL Pro-Choice America fights for reproductive freedom for every body. Each day, we organize and mobilize to protect that freedom by fighting for access to abortion care, birth control, aid parental leave, and protections from pregnancy discrimination.

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