A month in, and 2017 doesn't seem to be better than 2016. In fact, it is getting worse. Most knew that this would happen seeing as Donald Trump was going to be inaugurated into office and become the 45th president of the United States. With this, those who thought ahead knew what this meant. He has not only stacked his cabinet with people who think just like him, but he has picked those that have less experience in their new fields than Trump has. Not to mention that most of them don't even believe in global warming. Not only should his picks for his cabinet scare Americans, but the bills they have pass should too.
On Tuesday January 24, 2017 the House of Representatives passed the H.R. 7 bill which is an anti-abortion bill that expands upon the Hyde Amendment (a 1976 bill which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions) to exclude the use of insurance to cover abortions. For over 40 years, no federal funding has gone to cover abortions so the title of the new bill "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017" is pretty misleading. This bill will expand on the Hyde Amendment in such a way that even private insurance will no longer cover abortions. This means that women will have to pay for abortions out of their own pocket even if they previously had health insurance that covered it. This pricing can be about $800 for the pill and about $2,000 for the in-clinic abortion. For many, this is too much to pay out of pocket and this bill will make it harder for low-income women to make the payment on their own.
However, just because the House has passed this bill doesn't mean that this bill is now a law. Remember "I'm Just A Bill" from Schoolhouse Rock? At this point, the Senate still needs to vote on H.R 7 and then Trump needs to sign off on it which he will since he wants to get rid of Planned Parenthood. H. R. 7 must have at least 60 senators vote yes on it for it to become a law. Currently, there are only 52 Republican senators while there are 46 Democrat senators and two independent senators (both caucus with the Democrats). This doesn't mean that the bill won't pass. According to GovTrack, three Democratic representatives in the House voted for H.R. 7.
You can even contact your senator and express how you feel. Check this site out to find your senator and how to contact them. It is important to let them know what you think because they are there to represent you. When calling, be specific. Tell them that you want to vote for them in the next election and that you want the H.R. 7 bill not to be passed.
Those who are pro-choice are pretty pissed about this bill, as they should be. For those who can't afford to pay out of their own pocket for an abortion will have to seek alternative options that they don't want to go through with whether it being keeping the child for their own which since they can't afford to abort as cells, won't be able to financially support it as a child or they might have to seek adoption and still have to put their body and mentality through this immense thing- pregnancy.
Another thing that is pissing off many is the fact that this bill was passed three days after the Women's March where thousands off women, men and families protested for reproductive rights.
If the government wants to be so pro-life, they should support the child forever, not just when it is only a few cells. By this I mean putting more effort into public schools. How? Maybe by getting rid of the horrid Betsy Devos who is both unqualified with no educator experience or elected office experience. She has worked for decades to undermine public schools and push for charter and private schools. Maybe get someone else for your education cabinet pick Trump since if a woman cannot afford an abortion she will not be able to afford tuition for private schooling. And if you really want those cells to have a future maybe clean up the earth starting with having both the environment and agriculture cabinet picks not being climate change skeptics like Scott Pruitt and Sonny Perdue respectively are.
