Obama Promises To Veto Republican Bill That Forces The IRS To Investigate Rape Victims

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The Obama administration just cut House Republicans off at the knee in order to protect American women from the egregious bill they were trying to pass that would force the IRS to investigate rape victims. No, that’s not a joke.

The Obama administration strongly opposes the Republican bill that forces the IRS to investigate rape victims. “If the President were presented with H.R. 7, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”

The White House issued a statement today on H.R. 7 – the Orwellian “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” (Rep. Smith, R-New Jersey, and 164 cosponsors) – that included, “The Administration strongly opposes H.R. 7.”

The Obama administration doesn’t like the infringement upon women’s freedom or the theft of home rule inherent in the GOP bill, “The legislation would intrude on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care; increase the financial burden on many Americans; unnecessarily restrict the private insurance choices that consumers have today; and restrict the District of Columbia’s use of local funds, which undermines home rule.”

This bill officially makes the Republican Party the party of big government.

The Obama administration explained that it is already law that we do not use tax money for abortions (it’s called the Hyde Amendment), “Longstanding Federal policy prohibits the use of Federal funds for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered. This prohibition is maintained in the Affordable Care Act and reinforced through the President’s Executive Order 13535.”

Of course, this bill isn’t really about taxpayer funds. It’s about controlling women and creating an environment of fear and intimidation around women’s health. The White House continued, “H.R. 7 would go well beyond these safeguards by interfering with consumers’ private health care choices. The Administration strongly opposes legislation that unnecessarily restricts women’s reproductive freedoms and consumers’ private insurance options.”

The Republicans are trying to pass it off as the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act”, but there is already no taxpayer funding for abortion. Not only is that a law, but ObamaCare took special pains to ensure this. Furthermore, the President even issued an Executive Order to make it even more clear, for those who have a hard time reading actual legislation that they vote on.

Predictably, it is Republican policies that lead to abortions. Study after study shows that access to birth control and sex education significantly reduce the unwanted pregnancy rate, which reduces the abortion rate. These are Democratic policies.

In 2010, publicly funded family planning averted 760,000 abortions, according to a Guttmacher Institute report “Contraceptive Needs and Services 2010″ released in July of 2013.

Republicans are at risk of causing 760,000 more abortions per year by defunding family planning. So instead of having the IRS investigate rape victims, if they really care about abortion, they would refund Planned Parenthood and other family planning organizations.

Unlike many in the House GOP, the President is not a knuckle-dragging neanderthal incapable of dealing with women as equals. In fact, this White House has been the most pro-women policy oriented administration in history. Obama and the Democrats are the speed bumps against the crazy Republican train that keeps coming from women’s freedom.

Republicans are trying to claim that there is no “war on women”. If forcing women to submit to the IRS for an investigation over health matters isn’t a war on women, I’m afraid to ask what would constitute a war on women.

Sarah Jones

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Sarah has been credentialed to cover President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and exclusively interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi multiple times and exclusively covered her first home appearance after the first impeachment of then President Donald Trump.

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