WASHINGTON — Last night’s vote of 214 to 207 on the Heroes Act 2.0 split nearly exactly along party lines with just 17 Democrats voting against it.
The amendment, created by pro-abortion Democratic leadership, has the potential to funnel millions of dollars into many programs—without any Hyde Amendment protections—with the goal of undergirding the abortion industry.
“This bill is just a thinly disguised attempt by pro-abortion Democrats, led by Nancy Pelosi, to pour money into the abortion industry,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Once again, the Democrats have proved that they care more about propping up the abortion industry than they do about taxpayers.”
Heroes 2.0 specifically states “no person otherwise eligible shall be excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in the administration of, programs and services receiving funding under a covered law…, based on any factor that is not merit-based, such as age, disability, sex…” In the legislation, “sex” is defined to include “pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.” It is well established that abortion will be regarded as a “related medical condition.”
The language of Heroes 2.0 would open the door to legal challenges regarding abortion because it would establish that any pregnancy-related medical conditions—including abortion—could not be treated less favorably than other physical conditions.
“Abortion is not health care,” said Tobias. “It takes the life of an unborn baby and often places an otherwise healthy woman at risk. This bill does nothing to help women and their unborn children. Democratic leaders only want to pour money into the abortion industry to please their pro-abortion supporters.”
Heroes 2.0 would also apply retroactively to previous Covid-19 relief packages.