NIRH Applauds Introduction of EACH Woman Act Repealing Discriminatory Hyde Amendment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2019
Contact: Noah Gardy, [email protected], 201-218-6310

EACH Woman Act would end the federal prohibition on insurance coverage for abortion services

NIRH laid groundwork through efforts in 18 localities nationwide to adopt resolutions calling for repeal of the Hyde Amendment at the local level

Washington, DC – Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH), released the following statement praising the introduction today of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Woman Act in the United States House of Representatives and Senate. The EACH Woman Act would repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bars federal funds from covering abortion care. NIRH has been leading a multi-year effort to build public awareness and support, at the local level, the urgent need to repeal the Hyde Amendment, prompting 18 localities across the country to adopt resolutions accordingly. Together with coalition partners, NIRH just launched the groundbreaking #FundAbortionNYC campaign, which would make New York the first city in the nation to directly fund access to abortion care for those who need it.

“Since the Hyde Amendment was adopted four decades ago, more than one million women have been cut off from safe, affordable abortion services,” said Andrea Miller, President of the National Institute for Reproductive Health. “Medicaid alone provides coverage to 20 percent of U.S. women of reproductive age; it is unconscionable to deny women the ability to make personal life decisions due to interference from politicians. When it comes to the most important decisions in life, such as whether to become a parent, each of us must be able to consider all our options, however much we earn or however we are insured. It’s time for Congress to pass the EACH Woman Act, following in the footsteps of 18 cities which have called for an end to this discriminatory and hateful policy.”

For more than a decade, NIRH has led the fight to expand reproductive freedom in states and cities across the country. This month, NIRH launched the #FundAbortionNYC campaign, a historic effort to make New York City the first and largest city in the nation to directly fund access to abortion care through funding from the New York City Council. This campaign advocates for the New York City Council to provide $250,000 in funding to the New York Abortion Access Fund (NYAAF) in its upcoming budget.

“It’s time for the federal government to listen to a growing chorus of municipalities and ensure that every woman has equal access to quality healthcare, including abortion,” Miller continued. “I want to thank Representatives Lee, Schakowsky, DeGette as well as Senator Duckworth and co-sponsors Murray, Hirono, and Harris for introducing the EACH Woman Act and standing up for reproductive health, rights, and justice. And while we fight for justice on the federal level, NIRH is also working on the local level through efforts like #FundAbortionNYC, to ensure that every level of government is doing its part to ensure that abortion care is safe, legal, affordable, and accessible to all who need it.”

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health builds power at the state and local level to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.

Using a partnership model, NIRH provides state and local advocates with strategic guidance, hands-on support, and funding to create national change from the ground up. We form strategic partnerships with a wide range of organizations to directly impact the reproductive health and lives of women across the country. Each year, NIRH works in at least 20 states and more than a dozen localities; to date, NIRH has partnered with more than 170 reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations in 43 states and 64 localities across the country.