Senator Feingold-Reproductive Health Care

Dear Mr. Schaefer,



Thank you for contacting me regarding reproductive health care. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

As you know, Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) offered an amendment to the Senate health reform legislation that would prohibit the public option and any insurance plan sold through Health insurance exchanges to individuals purchasing with a federal subsidy from covering abortions except in the cases of danger of death of the woman, rape, or incest. The Senate rejected the amendment by a vote of 54-45. I opposed the amendment.

On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed H.R. 3950 "The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act" by a vote of 60 to 39, with my support. The legislation prohibits mandatory abortion coverage as part of a minimum benefits package, and prohibits federal funds being used for abortions unless the pregnancy is due to rape, incest, or the life of the mother is in danger. You can find the text of the bill at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3590pp.txt.pdf.

I support a woman's right to choose. I feel very strongly that Congress should seek to regulate abortions only within the constitutional parameters set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court. I have also always believed that decisions in this area are best handled by the individuals involved, in consultation with their doctors and guided by their own beliefs and unique circumstances, rather than by government mandates.

I will continue to work in the U.S. Senate to develop and expand programs that will help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and provide a full range of choice to all women.

Again, thank you for contacting me. As health care reform moves forward, I will continue working to improve access to health care and make health care more affordable for the people of Wisconsin. You can learn more about my work on health care reform at my website at http://feingold.senate.gov/healthreform.html. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.