House Tax Bill Includes Buried Attempt to Restrict Abortion

Washington, DC -- The House released a tax reform package today that includes hidden language aimed at restricting access to abortion. With this move, House Republican leaders have once again made clear that they will stop at nothing in their relentless attempt to block women from accessing basic reproductive health care.

Statement from Dana Singiser, Vice President, Public Policy and Government Affairs for Planned Parenthood Action Fund:

"It is absurd that House Republican leaders would use a tax bill to try to advance their agenda to undermine access to safe, legal abortion. Denying women access to safe, legal abortion is wildly out of touch with what the majority of Americans want. Politicians in Washington, DC have no place inserting themselves in decisions about women's health and lives, not on this bill and not on any bill."

The House bill includes language that explicitly allows an “unborn child” to be an account beneficiary of a 529 college savings plan, defining “unborn child” in statute. In fact, the law already allows people to create 529 accounts for their future children, making the new language unnecessary and their agenda clear: to insert language into this bill that is solely designed to support relentless efforts to restrict access to safe, legal abortion.  

This proposal is wildly out of touch with what the majority of Americans want. Support for Roe v. Wade is at the highest it’s ever been, with 7 out of 10 Americans saying they believe a woman should have the right to safe, legal abortion -- that’s more popular than Congress, the Republican party or the Democratic party.

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.