Norton Vows to Once Again Defeat Senate Bill Introduced to Permanently Ban Local D.C. Funding for Abortion

Press Release

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today condemned a bill introduced by Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) to permanently prohibit the District of Columbia from spending its local funds that have been approved by Congress on abortion services for low-income women. The bill would also permanently ban federal funding for abortion, prohibit D.C. and federal government employees from providing abortions, prohibit abortions in D.C. and federal government facilities and define the D.C. government as part of the federal government for purposes of abortion. Wicker has previously introduced this anti-choice bill in the 112th, 113th, 114th and 115th Congresses, and each time the Senate did not take the bill up for a vote. Currently, the District is subject to an appropriations rider for fiscal year 2019 that prohibits D.C. from spending its local funds on abortions for low-income women. With Democrats in control of the House, Norton will fight to remove this rider during the upcoming appropriations process for fiscal year 2020.

"With the start of a new Congress, we once again see a renewed effort to attack the reproductive rights of D.C.'s women and D.C. home rule itself," Norton said. "We have repeatedly defeated this radical anti-choice bill, which uniquely singles out residents of the District of Columbia, even when Republicans have controlled Congress and the presidency. We intend to continue to protect the rights of our residents and will work with our allies in the Senate who have helped in the past to defeat this bill."

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