WASHINGTON – Women’s rights groups and female lawmakers like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of Columbia County are upset over the House approval of a healthcare bill that includes an amendment to prevent insurance companies from paying for abortions.

Gillibrand, Planned Parenthood and other people and organizations oppose Stupak-Pitts amendment.

Congressman John Hall (D-Dover Plains) said he voted against the amendment, but for the bill.

“I don’t believe the whole bill should be discarded because of one provision and I don’t think there’s much more there,” he said. “In fact, the Catholic bishops were in favor of the bill and once that language was in there, they were strongly supportive of healthcare, especially for those who can’t currently afford it. That I agreement with them on, just disagree on that one amendment.”

Gillibrand, though, said a lack of access to full reproductive health care “puts the lives of women and girls at grave risk.” The anti-choice measure “poses greater restriction on low-income women and those who are more likely to receive some kind of subsidy and less likely to be able to afford a supplemental insurance policy.”