While there are many problems with the Republican tax plan, of greatest concern is that, as currently proposed, anti-abortion “personhood” language could make its way into federal law.
The text shows that the bill’s Republican authors have taken the unprecedented step of inserting anti-choice personhood language under the guise of a tax provision for families saving for college. Personhood language seeks to define life as beginning at “conception” or “any stage of development,” which would ban all abortion as well as some common forms of birth control if passed into law. Writing personhood language into law has been the longstanding goal of anti-choice groups across the nation, who see it as a crucial step toward banning abortion and many common forms of birth control.
These same groups have praised the inclusion of this provision. As Jeanne Mancini of March for Life told Politico: “A child in the womb is just as human as you or I yet, until now, the U.S. tax code has failed to acknowledge the unborn child ... The proposed tax plan is a huge leap forward for an antiquated tax code, and we hope this is the first step in expanding the child tax credit to include unborn children as well.”
Congressional Republicans are trying to write personhood into federal law – and they’re using college affordability as a fig leaf to do it. The GOP bill would allow parents to set up a “529” savings account for – as the legislation spells it out – “an unborn child” that is “at any stage of development.”
Not only would this be the first time that personhood has made its way into federal tax law, it’s also completely unnecessary, as Americans can already set up 529s as they plan to grow their families. In fact, a 529 in a parent’s name can already be transferred to a child once they are born – an arrangement that allows families to put money away for a child’s education well before they are born without the need to write dangerous, anti-abortion language into federal law.
Our state has faced personhood at the ballot, and strong bipartisan opposition has emerged each time.
To my knowledge, this is the first time personhood language has made it into federal tax reform legislation. If it is successful, it leaves the door open for future laws to use the same non-medical, faith-based definition of when life begins.
Colorado voters have rejected “personhood” at the ballot box three times by landslide margins. Why, then, are Sen. Cory Gardner and the Republican caucus trying to sneak it into a tax bill?
Using the tax code as a stealth method to potentially outlaw abortion is an incredibly dangerous precedent to set and speaks volumes about the bill’s true intentions.
On behalf of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado’s members across the state, please ask Gardner to vote no.
Karen Middleton is executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado based in Denver. Reach her at kmiddleton@prochoicecolorado.org.
