On May 4, the House passed, 251-175, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 3), after defeating, 192-235, a motion to recommit by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) to prevent federal officials from reviewing the medical records of victims of rape or incest. The Judiciary Committee approved the legislation on March 3 (see The Source, 3/4/11).
The bill would permanently eliminate federal funding for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or to protect the life and health of the mother. Federal health facilities or federally employed health care providers would be prohibited from offering or providing abortion services.
The bill would include the District of Columbia in the definition of “federal government” and prohibit D.C. from using federal or local funds to provide abortion services. The measure also would prohibit discrimination against health care entities or providers that refuse to provide or refer for abortion services.
As amended, the bill incorporates the provisions of H.R. 1232, which the Ways and Means Committee approved on March 31 (see The Source, 4/1/11). H.R. 1232 would amend the tax code to prevent the costs incurred for abortion services from being considered as medical expenses for tax purposes. Current law allows individuals to deduct uncompensated medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of their adjusted gross income. As is the case with federal funding for abortions, the restriction on medical expenses would not apply in cases of rape, incest, or where the life of the mother is in jeopardy.
The measure would prohibit individuals from receiving tax credits for the purchase of health plans that include coverage for abortions and small business owners from receiving tax credits for contributions to provide employees with insurance plans that cover abortion. Under the legislation, any reimbursements from health flexible spending accounts or health savings accounts for abortion services would be treated as gross income.