ACLU Praises Defeat of the Nelson-Hatch Amendment to the Senate Health Reform Bill
The amendment was introduced by Senators Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009.
A similar amendment, the Stupak-Pitts amendment, was passed in the House version of the health reform bill last month. The ACLU claims that these amendments undermine women's ability to make personal medical decisions without government interference, violates her right to privacy, and "intentionally creates disincentives for the insurance industry to provide coverage of abortion."
Anthony D. Romero, the Executive Director of the ACLU, praised the defeat of the Nelson-Hatch amendment, saying it was a "direct attack on a woman's right to make private health care decisions" and that "the Senate clearly understands that abortion is a part of basic health care for women and that true health care reform will not live up to its name if it fails to protect a woman's right to access comprehensive care."
The ACLU is hopeful that amendments which restrict access to abortion, such as the Stupak-Pitts amendment and the Nelson-Hatch amendment, will not be included in the final healthcare bill.
Published by Eric Dolan
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