10/21/2026
Democrats in Congress recently unveiled their health care priorities for the upcoming 120th Congress should they win back the majority in November. Unsurprisingly, abortion remains a top priority for the caucus. They would be seeking to establish a national right to abortion, mandate and expand health insurance coverage for abortion, and lift any restrictions on government funding. Twenty-one states have no protections for unborn life whatsoever, and the Biden era’s abortion-by-mail policy remains in effect, resulting in abortion drugs being shipped into every state, including those with strong pro-life laws. But it seems that, for Democrats, this isn’t enough — there’s more anti-life work to be done.
Health insurance coverage is the subject of many of the bills on the proposed agenda, and this includes the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act. This bill would mandate health insurance coverage of abortion across all government programs and supersede other laws limiting abortion coverage or funding, such as the Hyde Amendment. The bill specifically exempts itself from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, a 1993 law that prohibits the government from placing a substantial burden on a person’s exercise of religion. This would mean that Americans across the country would be forced to pay into plans that cover elective abortion and would not be able to sue the government, even if they have a sincere religious objection.
Democrats would also be looking to revive — and even expand — expired enhancements to Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which fund abortions and gender transition procedures. A recent GAO report confirmed that over a quarter of all Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) under the ACA cover elective abortion, covering an estimated 4.4 million individuals, and we know that some health plans require coverage of gender transition procedures as “medically necessary” despite the lack of evidence supporting them.
These COVID-era enhancements had temporarily increased the amounts the government had been paying towards enrollee’s health insurance premiums and made more people eligible. While the subsidies still exist, the expansion expired at the end of 2025, despite the Democrats’ (and some Republicans’) best efforts. If the Democrats take back the House, they would be looking to bring up the so-called Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act of 2025, which would again expand funding and eligibility for the ACA subsidies.
Other measures, such as the Bridge to Medicaid Act and the Medicare-X Choice Act, also include provisions to expand these subsidies, thereby increasing funding for abortions and gender transition procedures, including for minors.
Another way the Democrats would be aiming to increase federal funding of abortion would be through the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, which would increase funding for the Title X Family Planning Program and lock in this funding for the next 10 years, rather than have the funding be subject to the annual appropriations process as it is now. This bill includes funding for clinics receiving Title X funds, which includes Planned Parenthood affiliates, and it requires that all pregnancy counseling present abortion as an option.
As if this were not enough, the Democratic Party will seek to establish federal rights to contraception, IVF, and abortion, all of which could put state regulations and pro-life protections in jeopardy. The Right to Contraception Act’s vague language could be used to overturn commonsense conscience and parental consent laws and guarantee a right to contraceptives that can act as abortifacients. The Right to IVF Act claims to establish a statutory right to “fertility treatments,” including Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART), broadly defined.
In reality, this bill package could lead to the legalization of practices such as human cloning, gene-editing, and the creation of three-parent embryos, as well as the creation of human-animal chimeras and other forms of human embryo experimentation. This bill package would fund ART procedures for servicemembers and veterans (including same-sex and unmarried couples) with taxpayer dollars and mandate insurance coverage of ART procedures nationwide.
But it is the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act that is the Democrats’ crown jewel. It would prohibit the federal government from restricting access to abortion and would establish a federal right to abortion before viability, though an abortionist would be given latitude to decide if an abortion is necessary beyond viability to protect the woman’s life or “health.” The term “health” is not defined, which could be used to allow abortion for any reason, such as mental health.
The bill also declares that it is not subject to pro-life laws, pre-abortion or post-abortion testing, informed consent, abortion facility requirements, or other pro-life protections. It would give abortion a status that no other medical procedure has. It would legalize abortion across the country for any reason and, possibly, at any point in pregnancy.
The bill further includes a specific right to travel across state lines to obtain an abortion, and it exempts itself from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which would have a chilling effect on the conscience rights of medical professionals, employers, nonprofits, and everyday Americans in various contexts.
The Democrats’ agenda is radical, but unfortunately, not surprising. They are being upfront as to where their priorities are. Now, it’s up to American voters to decide whether to accept their anti-life agenda. If the thought of living in a country with a federal statutory right to abortion, abortion-on-demand for any reason, paid for by the taxpayer, with no room for conscientious objections concerns you, make your voice heard at the ballot box.
𝑊𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑦 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑙 𝐻𝑜𝑦𝑡, 𝑆𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑟 𝐿𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝐴𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑎𝑡 𝐹𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑅𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑙. 𝑃𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑊𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑡𝑜𝑛 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑.
