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Last Chance to Support Access to Abortions in Comprehensive Health Care Reform
Greetings,
A few weeks ago, we asked you to contact your elected officials
to voice your support for health care reform that includes
access to comprehensive reproductive health services including
abortion. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on
health care TOMORROW! We need your help in the final push to
ensure that health care reform legislation includes adequate
coverage for reproductive health services. A small group of
Representatives are using religious objections to abortion to
push for an amendment to pending legislation (the Stupak
amendment) which would prevent any health care reform bill from
including coverage of reproductive health services, including
abortion. We must not let them succeed! Please take a few
minutes to contact your Congressional Representative and urge
him/her to support health care reform that includes access to
reproductive health services including abortion!
Send a letter to the following decision maker(s):
Your Congressperson
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Support Health Care That Includes Comprehensive Reproductive Health
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
As a friend of the Center for Inquiry, I ask that you to oppose the Stupak amendment to the pending Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962). The Center for Inquiry is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to fostering a secular society based on science, and humanist values.
The Center for Inquiry believes that health care services, including abortion along with comprehensive reproductive services, must be available to all, regardless of income. If coverage for abortion is eliminated from health care reform, the poor and communities of color will bear the consequences. Already, a low-income woman is four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy and five times as likely to have an unintended birth as her higher income counterpart. Lack of access to abortion services perpetuates inequality and compromises the future of women, their families and their communities.
Even in the face of opposition arguments, the majority of Americans support requiring coverage of abortions under reform. After hearing strong arguments both for and against covering abortion under reform, two-thirds (66%) support coverage, agreeing that health care, not politics, should drive coverage decisions. A majority of voters (72%) reported that they would feel angry if Congress mandated by law that abortion would not be covered under a national health care plan.
America needs a health care system that serves all persons with dignity and equality. This type of health care system is not possible without covering comprehensive reproductive services, including abortion. We call on Congress to preserve the current standard of reproductive health care and ensure that millions of uninsured and underinsured women will have access to these services. This can be accomplished by defeating the Stupak amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2009.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
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Instructions:
Click here to take action on this issue
Tell-A-Friend:
Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.
 Tell-a-Friend!
What's At Stake:
In some proposed amendments to H.R. 3962, if a woman wanted reproductive health coverage that included abortion services, she'd have to purchase an additional insurance rider. This rider would have to be purchased far in advance, so by the time a woman had an unplanned pregnancy, even as the result of abuse, she would not be able to buy the insurance at that point in time. This means that women in abusive relationships would have to negotiate coverage with their spouse, and young women who are under their parents' health care plan would have to negotiate with them in order to access reproductive health services.
Campaign Expiration Date:
December 6, 2009
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