Graves Sponsored Abortion Funding Ban Passes House

Statement

Today, the U.S. House passed H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, which establishes a permanent, government-wide ban on taxpayer funding or subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09), member of the House Appropriations Committee and cosponsor of H.R. 3, issued the following statement after voting for the bill:

"One of my first serious acts of civic engagement came in 2001, when my wife, Julie, and I learned that an abortion clinic was going to open in Calhoun, Georgia. I worked alongside Julie as she gathered our community to protest against the clinic and successfully prevent it from opening its doors. Our movement in North Georgia ten years ago reflects a wider, deeply held belief across America that life is a precious gift from God, and that the innocent, unborn have a right to life.

"The millions of Americans who share this view should not have their collective conscience violated by any scheme that applies their tax dollars toward abortion or abortion coverage. While the Hyde Amendment has largely prevented taxpayer funding of abortion for years, the advent of Obamacare and other existing policies and loopholes have made it possible for tax dollars to fund abortion. H.R. 3 provides the critical, permanent assurance that no plan, program, pool or other form of coverage can escape the laws that protect the conscience of America's taxpayers.

"I was proud to vote for H.R. 3 today, as I thought of the protest back in Calhoun, and how much it means to represent my community on the day the U.S. House passed a bill to permanently prevent abortion from assuming any semblance of an entitlement in America."

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