A U.S. House committee is expected to vote soon on an extension of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act.
Rep. Joseph Pitts, R-Pa., is sponsoring an amendment to the bill — HR 1328 — to keep the funds from going toward abortions.
The amendment language is based on the Hyde Amendment, which forbids federal funding of nearly all abortions. Indian health services are funded through the Interior Appropriations bill, which has never been subject to the Hyde Amendment.
Maggie Datiles, staff attorney for Americans United for Life, said most people aren’t aware that the Indian health care program, which covers more than 2 million people, is federally funded. Under the current rules, abortions can be covered.
"This amendment is very critical to ensuring that the more generally applicable standard of the Hyde Amendment is applied uniformly for all federal programs," she said.
A similar amendment, sponsored by Sen. David Vitter, R-La., passed earlier this year when the Senate voted on its Indian health care bill.
Andrew Cole, spokesman for Pitts, said the time to act is now — Indian health care won't come up for renewal for another decade.
“For 10 years forward, no funding would be allowed to be appropriated for abortions in Indian health clinics,” he said, "so it’s not subject to the political whims of any given appropriations cycle.”
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