President Obama would veto H.R. 3 — the bill that became infamous earlier this year for its original language about “forcible rape” — if it were ever to make it to his desk.
The finalized version of H.R. 3, which proponents say is aimed at making existing government restrictions on funding abortion permanent, is scheduled for a House vote on Monday. Critics of the bill, including the White House, have said that it would make it tougher for women to seek abortion coverage from private insurers, effectively expanding government restrictions on abortion funding beyond the accepted practice found in the Hyde Amendment (which needs to be renewed by Congress every year.)
It’s not likely that Obama will see the bill reach his desk, thanks to numbers in the Senate that better favor the pro-choice community, which is adamantly opposed to H.R. 3. The bill was authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) — who cut out the “forcible rape” language after criticism from pro-choicers and Democrats — has many supporters in the Republican-controlled House, and is likely to do well there on Wednesday.
Supporters of the bill in the pro-life community are ramping up their push to get the bill passed. A PAC run by the conservative Family Research Council launched a series of radio ads targeting 12 Representatives and urging them to vote yes.
Should the unexpected happen, the White House made no bones about what Obama would do with H.R. 3 if he gets it.
“The Administration will strongly oppose legislation that unnecessarily restricts women’s reproductive freedoms and consumers’ private insurance options,” the White House said in a statement. “If the President is presented with H.R. 3, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill.”
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