Republicans in the House of Representatives, led by Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn, will introduce legislation Tuesday evening prohibiting states that create abortion access funds from receiving funding from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Several blue states, including Colorado, New York, and California, increased funding for abortion clinics shortly before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Other states, including Connecticut and New Jersey, have passed laws prohibiting law enforcement from cooperating with other states investigating abortion services.
Lamborn’s bill, the Preventing Abortion Sanctuaries Act, targets blue states that create abortion access funds for the purpose of transporting abortion seekers from states where the procedure is outlawed. The legislation defines an abortion sanctuary as a state that “establishes a fund or commission (or similar entity) for the purpose of providing direct financial and logistical support to individuals traveling to such State to receive an abortion” or “has in effect laws that prohibit the enforcement of a law of another State that authorizes a person to bring a civil action against a person or entity that” performs, receives, or “aids and abets” an abortion.
The bill also names states that do not have laws including “gestational protections for an unborn child.”
Read the bill here:
Preventing Abortion Sanctuaries Act by Michael Ginsberg on Scribd
“I am greatly concerned that liberal-governed states, such as Colorado and California, are attempting to enact anti-life policies which include using taxpayer dollars to fund the travel and procedural expenses of women crossing state lines to receive an abortion,” Lamborn said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “Abortion is not healthcare and hardworking taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize the taking of innocent life no matter what state they live in. I thank my colleagues in Congress for joining me in this crucial fight to protect the unborn.”
The Hyde Amendment prohibits the federal government from using any taxpayer money to fund abortions, unless those procedures are necessary to protect the life of the mother. Some Republicans have expressed concern that the Biden administration could attempt to circumvent the rule by offering travel vouchers to women who would seek abortions across state lines. (RELATED: Dems Demand Biden Declare National Health Emergency Over Abortion)
Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion to Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Clinic that states may not punish women who seek abortions out-of-state.
Privately-funded abortion access funds are common. Many companies, including Disney, Meta, and Nike, are promising to pay for their employees’ abortion-related travel.