Support bipartisan bill to protect conscience, ban all government abortion funding

Rep. Smith

Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ-04) and Dan Lipinski (D-IL) have introduced a strong bill to permanently prohibit taxpayer funding of abortion in every federal program. The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act will establish a government-wide statutory prohibition on abortion funding.
This bipartisan pro-life bill has 155 cosponsors--18 Democrats and 139 Republicans. Pro-life healthcare professionals and patients who want pro-life physicians will especially note the conscience protections provisions of this bill (read the text of the bill here):

(a) NONDISCRIMINATION.—A Federal agency or program, and any State or local government that receives Federal financial assistance (either directly or indirectly), may not subject any individual or institutional health care entity to discrimination on the basis that the health care entity does not provide, pay for, provide coverage of, or refer for abortions.
(b) HEALTH CARE ENTITY DEFINED.—For purposes of this section, the term 'health care entity' includes an individual physician or other health care professional, a hospital, a provider-sponsored organization, a health maintenance organization, a health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization, or plan.
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services is designated to receive complaints of discrimination based on this subsection, and coordinate the investigation of such complaints.

Rep. Lipinski (left)

Without conscience protections that allow physicians and nurses to practice medicine according to life-affirming ethical codes and moral convictions, pro-life and faith-based physicians and institutions will leave medicine. That will leave many patients who depend on faith-based care without access to medicine. With so much at stake, I trust you will keep abreast of this issue and let your Representative know you want him or her to cosponsor this important bill.
Action: Urge your Representative to keep your tax dollars from funding abortion: The lists below includes Members who supported the Stupak/Pitts amendment to the health care reform bill, which is similar to the Smith/Lipinski bill (HR 5939), but have not yet cosponsored the Smith/Lipinski bill. If your Representative appears on this list, urge that Member to "cosponsor the Smith/Lipinski bill (HR 5939)."

• Republicans: Biggert, Bilbray, Bono Mack, Capito, Castle, Dent, Djou, Dreier, Flake, Frelinghuysen, Hastings, Heller, Kirk, Lance, Mack, C., Nunes, Putnam, Reichert, Rohrabacher, Rooney, Royce, Young, B., Young, D.,
• Democrats: Baca, Barrow, Berry, Bishop, Boccieri, Cardoza, Chandler, Cooper, Costa, Cuellar, Davis (AL), Doyle, Etheridge, Gordon, Hill, Holden, Kaptur, Kildee, Langevin, Lynch, Matheson, Melancon, Michaud, Mollohan, Neal, Obey, Perriello, Pomeroy, Reyes, Rodriguez, Ryan (OH), Salazar, Shuler, Skelton, Snyder, Space, Spratt, Stupak, Tanner, Teague