A new bill sponsored by anti-abortion Republicans would mandate racial profiling in the doctor’s office, and restrict a woman’s right to reproductive freedom.
On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act. In theory the measure is meant to to ban abortions based on the race or gender of the fetus. However, critics claim the bill is nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to frustrate any attempt made by a woman to access a safe and legal abortion.
Debra L. Ness, President, National Partnership for Women & Families, said in a statement:
“The legislation to criminalize abortion on the basis of sex and race is a sham; it is nothing more than an attempt to make it more difficult for women of color to seek abortion care and imprison doctors who provide that care.”
“The move to outlaw sex- and race-selective abortion in the United States is gratuitous and unnecessary, which is why many of the leading and most respected civil rights organizations have lined up against this bill.”
Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee vote split along party lines, with 20 Republicans voting for it and 13 Democrats voting against.
The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act purports to be an attempt to ban abortions based on the race or gender of the fetus. However, according to critics, the measure addresses a problem that doesn't actually exist in this country. In addition, critics claim the bill would create additional barriers for women of color when trying to access comprehensive health care.
Recently the bill’s sponsor, Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, admittedto the fact that his attempt to ban the imaginary problem of race and gender based abortions in the United States is part of a larger agenda to end all abortions in the country.
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