U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) proposed legislation Tuesday to prohibit Medicare money from being distributed to health care professionals who use telemedicine for abortion services.
“I believe in the right to life for our country's most vulnerable citizens, our children. While all abortions are horrific, progressive leftists want abortions to be as easy as online shopping with same-day delivery. Teleabortions have exploded in the last few years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Supreme Court's rightful decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. As abortionists circumvent state laws to end the lives of unborn children, telehealth must not be weaponized to terminate a human life,” said Rep. Steube. “Medicare dollars have no place funding providers who enable ‘Do it yourself’ unsupervised chemical abortions. My legislation seeks to end this dangerous, morally wrong practice by preventing Medicare from paying telehealth abortionists.”
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Chemical abortion pills have a long, documented history of injury, hospitalization, infertility, and even death. The drugs are currently available on demand in some states to pregnant mothers via a telehealth appointment, and the FDA has allowed the distribution of these drugs through the mail.
More than half of all abortions in the United States are chemical abortions.
According to Concerned Women for America, “Mifepristone is used to terminate a pregnancy up to ten weeks, but the lack of medical oversight and access to emergency medical assistance can be fatal to young women taking it alone and late in pregnancy. This drug blocks the mother’s natural production of progesterone for her child, cutting off blood and nourishment to the baby. The unborn child begins to starve to death. Between 24-48 hours later, the woman takes Misoprostol which causes the mother to contract and bleed to force the child out of the womb.”
In January 2023, the FDA permanently removed the in-person dispensing requirement for these dangerous drugs, enabling abortions on demand without in-person medical supervision.
The legislation ensures no payment may be made under the Medicare program to a health care provider who knowingly provides or attempts to provide a chemical abortion without a physician physically examining the patient, without being physically present at the location of the chemical abortion, and without scheduling a follow-up visit for the patient.
If a provider provides a single teleabortion service, they would be entirely ineligible from Medicare participation for any service.
The legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio).
The legislation is supported by the National Right to Life, March for Life Action, Family Research Council, Students for Life Action, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists Action, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, and Americans United for Life.
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“We applaud Congressman Steube on prioritizing women’s safety with the Women’s Protection in Telehealth Act,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, the nation’s largest public policy organization for women. “Let’s be clear, there is nothing safe or effective about allowing women to perform their own DIY abortion, with the risk of hemorrhaging on their bathroom floor alone, with nowhere to turn for help, terrified that they might die. Pharmacies recent push to distribute abortion pills like candy is dangerous for women. The Congressman’s bill prioritizes women’s safety by ensuring a physician must evaluate the woman in person, monitor her, and create a follow up appointment in order for his practice to participate in the Medicare Program.”
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