Women's Public Health and Safety Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3495, the Women's Public Health and Safety Act. This bill, at its core, is about choice as well as protecting the lives of millions of unborn babies across America.

H.R. 3495 would empower States with flexibility to include or not include in their Medicaid program providers who perform or assist in the performance of elective abortions.

The Hyde amendment already makes sure that Federal Medicaid dollars do not pay for elective abortions. This bill would amend current law so that States would have the flexibility and discretion to work with qualified providers of their choice.

This bill also means States would be able to remove the largest abortion chain from being the recipient of millions of dollars of State and Federal funds, which are allocated within their States.

Planned Parenthood has received about $1.2 billion through Medicaid over a 3-year period, and States who wish to eliminate Planned Parenthood from this funding stream are being blocked from doing so.

All Medicaid providers ought to be held responsible for their actions. However, the current administration is interpreting current law to protect the interests of political elites over the health care of those truly in need. States should be able to work with providers who prioritize and respect life and exclude organizations whose business model is built around the destruction of life.

Planned Parenthood is the Nation's largest abortion chain, doing over 327,653 abortions in the last reported year. That comes out to an average of 898 abortions per day every day, 37 abortions every hour, 3 abortions every 5 minutes, more than 1 abortion every 2 minutes.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, in response briefly, money is fungible. Everybody knows it. In one pocket, out the other, same pair of pants. $1.2 billion over the last 3 years in Medicaid. The videos, nobody is putting words in their mouth. It is their words, their pictures.

I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), vice chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and a distinguished leader on this issue.

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Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, unfortunately, the Obama administration puts its own abortion-centered ideology ahead of women's health care.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), an outstanding leader on this issue.

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Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, we have heard lots of arguments here on the floor. We have heard about abortion being a healthcare issue. Abortion is not a healthcare issue. Abortion is the most violent form of death known to mankind: death by dismemberment and decapitation. It is horrific.

These video clips that we have seen show the graphic nature of what they are doing to these little unborn babies in Planned Parenthood clinics and the harvesting of their body parts.

You call that humane? It is horrific. It is barbaric.

Why is this bill necessary? Currently, CMS is bullying States, telling them they must include providers of elective abortions in their Medicaid programs. This bill empowers States with the needed flexibility to design their Medicaid programs in a manner that is consistent with pro-life values in a State.

The gentleman talked about patients. Well, a lot of unborn babies are treated as patients in their mother's womb. One lady talked about, what about individual rights? Well, what about the rights of these little patients in the womb?

Madam Speaker, this bill merely gives States the flexibility to choose to establish criteria regarding the participation in its Medicaid program of entities or persons who perform or participate in the performance of elective abortions.

Under this bill, low-income women and men will still have access to more than 13,000 federally qualified health centers in rural health center sites, in addition to at least 1,200 private and free charitable clinics. In contrast, Planned Parenthood has some 665 clinics. They can find health care near them because these federally qualified and rural health centers are 20 to every 1 Planned Parenthood clinic.

We have the list of the Members here. Some of the Members who have spoken may have one Planned Parenthood clinic. They may have 56, 44--the list varies--community health centers who would get that redistributed money and provide real health care, as Dr. Harris said.

This bill gives States the flexibility to design their Medicaid programs in a manner they choose to serve their Medicaid patients. So I strongly urge support for H.R. 3495, the Women's Public Health and Safety Act.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the question of adopting a motion to recommit on H.R. 3495 may be subject to postponement as though under clause 8 of rule XX.

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Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, today, under the Obama administration's interpretation of Federal statute, States are forced to include in their Medicaid program providers who perform elective abortions, whether they like it or not.

The Women's Public Health and Safety Act is a commonsense measure that would allow a State to choose to establish criteria regarding the participation in its Medicaid program of entities or persons who perform or participate in the performance of elective abortions.

Unlike what some Members on the other side of the aisle have said, this bill will not harm women's access to health care. Rather, this gives States more tools to design a Medicaid program that fully serves low-income women and men.

The Women's Public Health and Safety Act would put States back in the driver's seat and let each State design their Medicaid program in a manner that best meets the needs and respects the choices and values of the people within their States.

This bill should be supported by every Member who believes the States should be strong, full partners in the operation of the Medicaid program. If State taxpayers do not want to include abortion providers in their Medicaid program, they should not be forced to include them.

I urge the Members strongly to vote ``no'' on the motion to recommit.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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