In Response To House Committee Approval Of Bill Legalizing Discrimination in D.C.: NARAL and Over 100 DC Businesses Demand Congress Strip Provision

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Today, the effort led by anti-choice members of Congress to dismantle a D.C. law that protects women and workers against discrimination passed out of the Appropriations Committee and will now head to a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Reproductive Health Non-Discrimination Amendment Act of 2014 (RHNDAA) was unanimously passed by the D.C. Council and signed into law by Mayor Bowser.

Sasha Bruce, Senior Vice President of Campaigns and Strategy of NARAL Pro-Choice America released the following statement:

“In a new shameful low, even for this Congress, the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee is attempting to legislate hatred, bigotry and outright discrimination into law. Laws are meant to protect citizens, not discriminate against us. It is bad enough that Congress uses D.C. as their own bizarre social experiment, but when in doing so they attempt to write discrimination into law, that is a bridge too far.

“We’re proud to stand with more than 100 local businesses in urging the full House to reject this awful proposal.  Women shouldn’t risk losing their job because of the health care decisions they make with their doctors.

“7 in 10 Americans believe women should be free to make their own health care decisions but, if these anti-choice members of Congress have their way, women could be fired for having an abortion or just using birth control. This is not the right direction for the nation’s capitol, or the nation. Voters want our elected representatives to create jobs, not to threaten them with unemployment. We demand that Congress vote against this dangerous amendment when it reaches the Floor.”

The D.C. RHNDAA law prohibits employers from discriminating against employees based on their reproductive-health decisions and was passed with a companion bill that prohibits discrimination against LGBT students.

In a joint letter to Congress, over 100 area businesses voice their opposition to any vote that would allow discrimination against their employees:

“We are employers in the District and we believe that all women should have the ability to make personal decisions that affect their reproductive health without our intrusion. We support freedom of religion and belief–but not the right to impose those beliefs on others. We stand united with the coalition of organizations, businesses and individuals who support these laws in urging you to oppose any actions that would strike down these two human rights laws.”