Publicly-Funded Telehealth Abortions Targeted in New Steube Bil

US Representative Gregory Steube’s (R-FL) Women’s Protection in Telehealth Act would prevent health care providers offering telehealth services for abortions from receiving Medicare funds.

The act would prohibit access to medicare funds to health care providers who prescribe chemical abortion pills without physically examining a patient prior to such prescription.

A single telehealth abortion-related service (teleabortions) would suffice for disqualifying the provider of such service from medicare funds eligibility.

“Medicare dollars have no place funding providers who enable ‘Do it yourself’ unsupervised chemical abortions,” said Steube.

According to Steube, teleabortions have expanded since COVID-19 and the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v Wade.

A 2022 poll shows a comfortable majority of Americans oppose taxpayer-funded abortions.

A significant majority of poll respondents also cited opposition to taxpayer-funded mail-in prescription abortion drugs.

“While all abortions are horrific, progressive leftists want abortions to be as easy as online shopping with same-day delivery,” continued Steube. “My legislation seeks to end this dangerous, morally wrong practice by preventing Medicare from paying telehealth abortionists.”

According to Concerned Women for America, abortion pills such as Mifepristone endanger the life of women ingesting the medication.

Mifepristone and Misoprostol can be used in tandem to abort children before 11-weeks gestation by cutting off food supplies to the child and subsequently stimulating contractions and bleeding.

Steube’s bill bars taxpayer funding for such drugs when prescribed by healthcare providers via telehealth appointments.

Pro-life advocates celebrated the bill’s introduction.

“The Congressman’s bill prioritizes women’s safety by ensuring a physician must evaluate the woman in person, monitor her, and create a follow up appointment in order for his practice to participate in the Medicare Program,” said said Penny Nance, CEO and President of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, the nation’s largest public policy organization for women.