House Democrats introduce EACH Act to make reproductive health more affordable
Misty Severi
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Four House Democrats introduced a bill Thursday that would make reproductive healthcare more affordable and abortion more attainable for ordinary citizens.
Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Healthcare, or EACH, Act. It aims to make abortion more affordable for everyone.
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If it passes, the bill would eliminate the restrictions on funding for abortions for government employees and those who rely on government programs like Medicaid. But passing the bill would be challenging in a Republican-run House. The new bill would also repeal the 1976 Hyde Amendment, which forbids the federal government from paying for abortions in most cases.
Opponents of the amendment claimed the 1970s legislation was “racist” and “classist” because it affects women of color and low-income women the most.
“The Hyde Amendment is blatantly racist and classist, and keeping it in place is yet another attempt by extremist, out-of-touch Republicans to strip people of this country of their reproductive freedom,” Lee said in a statement. “For over 40 years, Hyde has forced poor women who are denied insurance coverage for abortions to carry pregnancies to term or pay for care when they’re already struggling to make ends meet.”
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The bill has been signed by 163 representatives so far, but it is not expected to garner support among Republicans.
The new legislation comes six months after the Supreme Court overturned the historic ruling in Roe v. Wade, returning the power to legislate abortion to the states. Democrats made their stances on abortion one of their most important issues in the 2022 midterm elections.