Rep. Ralph Norman Introduces the Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act

Washington, D.C. - On Wednesday, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) introduced the Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act. This legislation seeks to incentivize states to report abortion data to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in order to receive targeted Medicaid funding for family planning programs.

This bill reaffirms that Rep. Norman consistently fights for life, as does his recently earned "A+" on the Susan B. Anthony List National Pro-Life Scorecard.

Rep. Norman had previously introduced this bill in the 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses.

Background

Currently, states are not required to provide abortion statistics to the CDC, which results in incomplete data regarding abortions and survivors of abortion attempts. There is presently not a reliable single point of abortion data for all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

The American taxpayer continues to fund family planning programs despite having little understanding of how effective those programs are at reducing the number of abortions throughout the country. If all states were to submit accurate abortion data to the CDC, lawmakers would be better informed on family planning policy decisions and Medicaid funding for those programs could be more suitably allocated.

Statements

"Abortion is NOT family planning. Because reporting abortion data is voluntary, the data collected severely underestimates the number of abortions taking place. The reality is tax dollars are being blindly allocated to family planning programs without a clear picture of efficiency," said Rep. Ralph Norman. "If these programs are effective, then we should see states' abortion rates either lower or trend downwards."

"Every life is precious, and we cannot allow tax dollars to pay for abortions on demand," said Senator Ernst. "The full extent of government funding should not be a mystery, and my bill will require transparency from all 50 states. We need a complete and accurate understanding, including tragic cases where babies are born alive during abortions, to ensure that no life is ever ignored, hidden, or forgotten."