From the National Organization for Women: "H.R.3, the deceptively named No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, is up for a vote in the House of Representatives this week. One of several dangerous pieces of legislation in this 112th Congress, H.R.3 would permanently reinforce a ban on federal funding for abortion care and levy ideological tax penalties on millions of families and businesses -- effectively parceling out women's constitutional rights on the basis of ability to pay, with racist as well as sexist outcomes."

The "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" is deceptively named because it doesn't stop with federal funding. It also would levy tax penalties on millions of families and businesses using private insurance plans that happen to cover abortion care, and it would restrict the use of individuals' private health savings accounts to cover abortion care -- encouraging the Internal Revenue Service to conduct "abortion audits" on women's tax returns.

Reproductive decisions are extremely private.  Whether to be sexually active, to become pregnant or to terminate a pregnancy, these are all personal individual choices women make about their own bodies.  The decision to seek an abortion is an extremely private one.  To allow anyone else to restrict or deny access for this, or any other medical choice, is to devalue our autonomy.  I urge American women to be heard.  As we proudly watch American soldiers on foreign soil defending our nation and our belief in democracy and freedom for everyone, we must continue to do our work at home to protect our rights.

Please contact your Congressional Representative and let them know how you feel.  The NOW website has an easy tool to help you find out who your representative is if you aren't sure.