ongressman Hinchey is firmly committed to the right of a woman, in private consultation with her doctor, her clergy, her family or whomever she chooses, to make private personal decisions about her reproductive health without interference from the government. Hinchey believes that government’s only involvement in reproductive choice should be in ensuring that women can freely exercise their constitutional rights.
In his tenure in Congress, Hinchey has been active in working toward true freedom of choice. In the 103rd Congress, he supported President Clinton’s removal of Reagan-era abortion restrictions, such as "gag clauses" that prevented doctors from discussing reproductive options with patients in federal health programs. He was a cosponsor of the Freedom of Choice Act and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which provides federal protection to ensure free access to women’s clinics. Since 1995, he has fought every effort by the Republican leadership to erode abortion rights.
Congressman Hinchey believes that the majority of people opposed to abortion are just as sincere in their beliefs as those who support a woman’s right to choose. He respects their beliefs, but does not agree that their values should be imposed on all women. Hinchey believes that his responsibility is to protect people of every religious view from laws that interfere with their right to practice their religion and live by their own moral values. The morality of abortion must be decided according to individual conscience - not by politicians.
Hinchey believes that the best way to reduce the number of abortions is to provide access to safe, affordable birth control and family planning education. That’s why he’s been a strong supporter of the Title X family planning program which provides reproductive and other basic health care to women with low and modest incomes. Hinchey believes we could all do much more to reduce unwanted pregnancies if we worked together to promote effective family planning. Even for women with decent health insurance, access to family planning methods is limited because many insurance plans don’t cover contraceptives. Hinchey is working to correct this by sponsoring legislation that provides prescription equity: if a health insurance plan covers prescriptions, it should cover family planning prescriptions, too.
Hinchey opposes all types of late-term abortions except when they are necessary to save the life or protect the health of the woman. He strongly opposed the so-called "Partial Birth Abortion Ban" because it failed to provide protection for mothers whose lives or health are in danger. That legislation did not even ban any specific procedure; it was merely a political tool intended to open the door to further restrictions on choice. Instead, Hinchey is an original cosponsor of bi-partisan legislation that would ban late-term abortions if the appropriate protections to the mother's health are provided.
