Mr. Speaker, to say that this amendment is a wolf in sheep’s clothing would be the understatement of a lifetime. The proponents say it simply extends the Hyde amendment – just a clarification of current law. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If enacted, this amendment would be the greatest restriction of a women's right to choose to pass in our careers. Here is why. The Hyde amendment states that no federal funds shall be used for abortion. This has been contained in our annual Appropriations bills for many years. In the Energy and Commerce Committee, the pro-choice and some pro-life Democrats, came together and compromised; we said no federal funds in this bill will be used for abortions, the Capps amendment; this bill does not ban one federal dollar on abortions.

This amendment -- this Stupak-Pitts amendment, goes further.

It says as part of basic coverage, the public option cannot offer abortions to anyone, even those who are purchasing the policies with 100% private money. The amendment further says that anyone who purchases insurance in the Exchange and who receives premium assistance cannot get insurance coverage for a legal-medical procedure even with a portion of their premium that is their own private money.

Well, the proponents say, women can just purchase supplemental insurance for abortions. This very notion is offensive to women. No one thinks that women will have an unplanned pregnancy or a planned pregnancy that goes terribly wrong. Why would we expect to have people to buy supplemental insurance for cancer treatment just in case maybe they might get sick? Like it or not, this is a legal-medical procedure and we should respect those who need to make this very personal decision.

Once again, the base bill contains language that preserves the Hyde amendment. Let’s keep our eyes on the goal here, providing safe medical treatment for 36 million Americans. Let’s not sacrifice reproductive rights today in pursuit of that noble goal.