Vicky Hartzler: “I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for his leadership on this, and I thank the gentleman from New…”

“I thank the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) for his leadership on this, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for sponsoring this bill. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, I think we can all agree on this: it is wrong to spend hard-earned tax dollars to pay for abortions. Yet that is the policy of this administration through ObamaCare and what today's bill reverses. This commonsense provision ensures tax dollars are used wisely and government policy does not violate Americans' basic rights. H.R. 7 brings a stop to government-subsidized abortion created through ObamaCare, creates transparency by ensuring citizens have the information they need regarding their insurance policy and whether it pays for abortion or not, and, ultimately, lessens the number of lives ended through abortion. This legislation is important for the future of our country and forces our government to no longer be complicit in taking the lives of millions of innocent babies. We now live in a country that is trending pro-life, and a CNN poll shows that 61 percent of respondents oppose public funding for abortion. Forcing Americans to pay for services that they find morally unconscionable is wrong. The pro-choice Alan Guttmacher Institute demonstrates that when tax dollars are used, abortions increase by 25 percent.…”