Republicans passed the worst bill for women in a generation

Today is a very sad day. House Republicans just voted to pass the American Healthcare Act, effectively kickstarting the process of repealing Obamacare and taking away medical coverage for what could be over 24 million people. This isn’t simply a bill, but a death sentence for those who are poor, aged, or have literally any pre-existing medical conditions for which you could be refused coverage (one of which is acne, FYI).

Perhaps most horrifying is that AHCA will defund Planned Parenthood for “at least one year”, according to the Los Angeles Times. It also scraps subsidies for abortion, meaning that rape victims are left with no options for unplanned pregancies. Cecile Richards, the President of Planned Parenthood, called AHCA “the worst bill for women in a generation.”

“The bill also strips away essential health benefits including maternity care, and it undermines protections for millions with pre-existing conditions,” she continues in a video posted to Twitter. The bill makes it “harder to prevent unintended pregnancy, harder to have a healthy pregnancy, and harder to raise a family.”

The bill has only just passed the House – it will still have to go through the Senate to be voted into law. It was nearly defeated as well, with only 217 voting yes, and 213 voting no. Republicans who voted yes celebrated the passing of the bill by cracking open beers in the House and cheering, as ‘no’ voters sang, “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!”