To the Editor:
South Dakota Right to Life condemns the passage of President Biden’s “Build Back Better” reconciliation bill that was pushed through the House on Nov. 19.
The House of Representatives passed the “Build Back Better” spending bill in a vote of 220 to 213 with no Republican support.
Despite overwhelming taxpayer opposition to paying for abortions, the Democrats’ spending spree deliberately excludes Hyde Amendment protections with the goal of expanding abortion on demand paid for by your tax dollars.
We thank U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson for his pro-life values and for voting to defeat this bill on the floor of the House. Shortly after the House vote he wrote: “I voted no on this legislation. If made permanent, this spending bill will skyrocket the deficit by $2.4 trillion more every decade… Additionally, this bill fails to include the long-standing pro-life protections from the Hyde Amendment.”
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Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee stated, “Abortion is not healthcare and, until this Congress, the Hyde Amendment enjoyed 45 years of bipartisan support. The Hyde Amendment is widely recognized as having a significant impact on the number of abortions in the United States saving an estimated 2.4 million American lives. Yet, today, the Hyde Amendment is being targeted at every turn by pro-abortion Democrats.”
The “Build Back Better” spending spree would:
Mandate abortion funding in Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) plans in 2024 in states that have not expanded Medicaid.
Fund abortions via reinsurance payments and cost-sharing funding to states.
Extend the Obamacare expansion from the Covid-19 American Rescue Plan Act. This would further subsidize Obamacare exchange plans that cover abortion and subsidize millions of individuals’ taxpayer-funded plans that cover abortion on demand.
Direct billions of dollars to various public health grants without Hyde Amendment protections.
We respectfully urge U.S. Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds to defeat this massive bill as passed by the House. If this bill should happen to see the light of day, it must include the Hyde Amendment, which stops taxpayer funding of abortion and has saved millions of American lives.
Dale Bartscher, Executive Director
South Dakota Right to Life
