DFLA Statement on House Passage of BBB

By Sophie Trist

This morning, the House passed President Biden's $1.75 trillion Build Back Better human infrastructure plan. 

There's much to applaud in this bill. It invests in working parents and young children by providing free preschool and extending the $3,600 yearly child tax credit, which experts estimate could cut child poverty in half. It makes historical investments in environmental justice and humanizing immigration reform, and it invests in healthcare by lowering prescription drug costs and increasing support for people with disabilities and the home care workers who assist them in living with dignity and autonomy.  

However, the Build Back Better plan does not support pregnant women or their preborn children. While the bill does not specifically allocate money for abortions, the fact that the Hyde Amendment was left out of the bill's text means that money can be used to fund the killing of preborn children. 

Progress cannot come at the price of accepting violence against the smallest, most vulnerable humans. The Hyde Amendment has saved over two million lives and protects the consciences of American taxpayers. 

Fortunately, pro-life Democratic senator Joe Manchin has called Hyde "a line the sand."  Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) also support the Hyde Amendment. We strongly urge the Senate to include Hyde in their version of the legislation. Now is the time for every pro-life American to contact your senator and demand that Hyde be included in the Build Back Better Plan. Our money should go toward nonviolent, life-affirming support for pregnant people and their families, not to big abortion.