Yesterday, Catholics for Choice, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and a handful of other religious organizations spoke on Capitol Hill in defense of reproductive rights.
The groups spoke out in opposition to two pieces of legislation making their way through the U.S. House and Senate.
These groups are claiming the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (S. 906/H.R. 3) and the “Protect Life Act” (S. 877/H.R. 358) “would directly infringe upon a woman’s ability to make conscience-based decisions about the healthcare services she wishes to access.”
The group’s press release about the event said: ”The presentations at the briefing will show that religious voices across many different faith traditions support access to a comprehensive range of reproductive health services. In addition, attendees will hear how among people of faith, large majorities do not want Congress interfering in the private decisions individuals make about reproductive healthcare services.”
Both H.R. 3 and H.R. 358 are aimed at limiting insurance coverage of abortion services, in both public and private insurance exchanges.
States all over the country, including Florida, have passed legislation that already limits abortion coverage in health insurance policies that receive public dollars. However, these bills would mandate those same laws on a federal level.
Catholics for Choice has sparked controversy among other religious groups in the past for advocating in favor of abortion rights. The group has even criticized President Obama for his administration’s “abysmal failure to take action on choice issues.”
