"At this very moment, a woman is rationing the food left in her pantry, further delaying her electricity bill, and facing heavy penalties on her late mortgage payment -- all because she cannot pay for an abortion she needs.  This is the cruel legacy of the Hyde Amendment, a legacy that President Obama renewed yesterday by signing an executive order to appease a handful of legislators who represented no one's interests but their own.  As a nation, we demanded that health care reform address the inherent inequality and unfairness in our existing system.  But with the stroke of his pen, President Obama expanded the Hyde Amendment's guarantee of inequality and unfairness.  Because of the Hyde Amendment, every year nearly 200,000 women who cannot afford abortion care must make extreme sacrifices in order to pay for a basic health care procedure.  By singling out abortion care, Congress and our President have betrayed their obligation to protect the interests of all people living in this country, not only those who already have every advantage.  Our nation deserves much better.

The National Network of Abortion Funds has been leading efforts to dismantle the Hyde Amendment and ensure that every single woman in the United States has the ability to make important life decisions for the health and wellbeing of herself and her family.  We are absolutely committed to educating Congress, the Administration, and the public about the devastating impact of the Hyde Amendment and yesterday's executive order and continuing the work to restore fairness.

Every week, our local abortion Funds help at least 400 women obtain abortion care they could not otherwise pay for.  While we cannot meet the need created by our discriminatory health care system, we will continue to provide this essential service until every woman is treated with respect and dignity by her government.

***The National Network of Abortion Funds includes 100 community-based abortion Funds across the U.S. and abroad. Last year, the Network and Funds directly assisted over 21,000 women who needed help to pay for their abortions. We also work to lift economic barriers to abortion at the state and federal level.  Next month, the Network is coordinating over 20 local bowling events to raise money for abortion care for low-income women and girls.***

Speaker available for comment.

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