Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chair DeGette: Narrower Abortion Legislation’s Conscience Protections Are ‘a Poison Pill’

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” House Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) argued that the narrower abortion legislation touted by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) “has a poison pill in it because it allows abortion providers to just refuse to provide abortions if they don’t want to on a conscience clause.”

DeGette said, “[T]he Women’s Health Protection Act that the Senate’s voting on, that doesn’t allow all abortions. It codifies Roe v. Wade, and Roe v. Wade puts forth a pretty clear framework on what’s allowed and what’s not allowed. And so, this is just an excuse on their part. And by the way, the bill that Susan Collins says is a narrower bill that codifies Roe v. Wade, it has a poison pill in it because it allows abortion providers to just refuse to provide abortions if they don’t want to on a conscience clause.”

Later, host Jake Tapper asked, “But just to be clear on the Democratic legislation that the Senate is voting on right now, does it permit states to have any restrictions? Does it permit Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform abortions?”

DeGette responded, “So, right now, Roe v. Wade allows certain types of restrictions. It sets forth a system by which number of weeks the states are allowed to have restrictions, and they do have those restrictions. And there also are rules in place that will allow Catholic hospitals not to perform abortions if it is their conscience.”

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