Amid GOP Assault on Health Care, Pappas Continues to Champion Access to Reproductive Care
As Republicans continue their assault on health care, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) helped reintroduce the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act today, legislation to guarantee women access to abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance. The lawmakers’ bill follows the enactment of Trump and Republicans’ Big, Ugly Bill, which will gut Medicaid, defund Planned Parenthood health centers, and push essential reproductive care further out of reach for millions of people. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) is also an original cosponsor of this legislation.
“While extreme politicians and judges continue trying to turn back the clock on women’s rights, we must continue to push back and fight to guarantee all women access to the essential health services they need. I remain committed to doing all I can to restore and defend the right to safe and legal abortion and access to reproductive health care for all Americans,” said Congressman Pappas. “That’s why I’m proud to join my colleagues today to introduce legislation to guarantee all women access to the health care they need when they need it, regardless of how they get their health insurance or where they get their care.”
Specifically, the EACH Act ends the discriminatory Hyde Amendment and lifts abortion coverage restrictions for those who receive care through Medicaid and other government-sponsored plans. The bill helps ensure everyone can get the reproductive health care they need, regardless of income, insurance, or zip code.
The EACH Act is endorsed by the following organizations: National Women’s Law Center, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL), Guttmacher Institute, Center for Reproductive Rights, Physicians for Reproductive Health, National Abortion Federation, National Partnership for Women & Families, American Civil Liberties Union, Catholics for Choice, and more.
Background:
Pappas helped reintroduce two pieces of legislation vital to protecting access to reproductive care earlier this year: the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would enshrine into law vital protections previously guaranteed by Roe v. Wade and secure the right to reproductive care for everyone across America, and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act, which would reaffirm the right to travel for abortion care, including traveling across state lines. He has helped pass these bills through the House in prior Congresses.
Pappas also helped introduce the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act earlier this year, legislation that would safeguard and increase funding for Title X—the nation’s only federal program dedicated to providing comprehensive family planning and preventive health services. He has continually advocated for resources to support New Hampshire family planning services and health providers in the face of both state and federal efforts to cut or freeze Title X funding and defund these providers.