The House of Representatives will be voting this Wednesday under "suspension of the rules" on a deceptive measure that the authors have misnamed the "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act" H.R. 6099. In fact, it is an attempt to intimidate women into request expensive and unnecessary fetal anesthesia, which could then place the procedure financially outside their reach. We must act quickly to soundly DEFEAT this legislation – which needs a two-thirds vote of the 435-member House to prevail!
The legislation would force physicians to provide misleading and manipulative information to women seeking abortions at 20 weeks or more after fertilization. The bill calls for doctors to give patients a brochure with language scripted by anti-abortion legislators, not physicians.
Despite the inability to support such a claim medically, the text of this brochure tells each woman that her "unborn child" will experience pain while "being killed in an abortion." The doctor would then be required to offer the woman anesthesia or another "pain reducing drug" to be administered directly to the fetus.
Beyond the direct impact on women seeking abortions and the requirements placed on doctors, the legislation would ultimately reduce women's access to abortion: How many doctors have the resources, training and insurance coverage to administer anesthesia to a fetus in their office or clinic? How much extra will the anesthesia cost? And how can patients say no when the pressure is so emotionally intense? Many women seeking an abortion are already in economic straits and will be unable to afford the additional cost of hard-sell fetal anesthesia.
Please take action today by calling or emailing your representative. On such short notice, phone calls are often a better way to reach your representative's office to leave a message (be sure to tell them that you live in the district and give your address to prove it!) We've provided a suggested script for your call; get the script and your representative's phone number. Or send an email to your representative.
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