Health Care Reform Update: The Stupak-Pitts Amendment

HIV/AIDS advocates lauded the U.S. House of Representatives’ decision to pass the Affordable Health Care for America Act this past Saturday night. This was a huge move forward in the fight for health care reform for all Americans, including those living with HIV. The bill includes several HIV specific provisions that will quickly enable greater access to lifesaving treatment and care for positive folks by expanding Medicaid eligibility, eliminating the Medicare Part D donut hole, and enacting a national public health insurance option. Yes, ladies and gentleman, our hard work as staunch advocates for health care reform is paying off. But we’re not done yet. We now anxiously await the Senate to take its turn in this process and start debate on its bill.

Despite the overall win, it should be noted that it didn’t come without causalities, namely all women—living with and without HIV—who are of childbearing age.  Under the leadership of conservative Democrat Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, the House approved an amendment that undermines women’s ability to access high-quality and affordable abortion services. It bars any coverage of pregnancy termination in the public option and forbids any person who receives a federal subsidy from purchasing a plan that includes abortion.

This move rescinds the rights of all women and promises to have a profound impact on HIV-positive women, many of whom could access more comprehensive care thanks to the subsidies or the public option. And of course, with proper medical care, HIV-positive women can deliver healthy, HIV-negative babies.  The right to decide when to have a child and to determine if she’s ready to take the steps needed to deliver a healthy baby should be hers and hers alone. 

All women, including HIV-positive women, are entitled to determine when and if they have children. The ability to do so impacts women’s health and economic standing. As we move on to the Senate for part two of this fight, we must remember that reform is about expanding access to all health care services, not creating new barriers to it.

Learn more about what the Stupak-Pitts amendment means for women.