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Rep. Chris Smith addresses New Jersey residents who trekked to Washington for the annual anti-abortion March for Life. (Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media)

WASHINGTON — As thousands marched against abortion, the U.S. House of Representatives today passed legislation to cut off any federal funding for abortion and health insurance plans that fund the procedure.

U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-4th Dist.) played a key role in both events.

Smith was chief sponsor of the bill that would permanently enshrine a ban on federal funded abortions for poor women except in case of rape, incest or the life of the mother. The legislation also would require insurance plans offered under the Affordable Care Act to break out whether they cover elective abortion and prohibit them from adding premiums for that procedure to the total cost instead of being billed separately.

"The American people strongly oppose taxpayer funding for abortion," Smith, a leading opponent of abortion, said on the House floor. "We live in an age of ultrasound imaging — the ultimate window to the womb and the child who resides there. We are in the midst of a fetal health care revolution, an explosion of benign interventions designed to diagnose, treat and cure the precious lives of these youngest patients.''

Smith's bill was a last-minute substitution for another anti-abortion measure that would have banned the procedure after 20 weeks. Some House Republicans objected to a provision in the legislation that would have required women to report sexual assaults to law enforcement before they would be eligible for an exemption to the 20-week ban due to rape. The Washington Post said the lawmakers, many of them women, objected to such a restrictive anti-abortion bill because it would hurt the party's efforts to reach out to female and younger voters.

Smith said he expected a modified version of the bill to reach the House floor later this year and the U.S. Senate, now run by Republicans, to bring both pieces of legislation up for votes.

The legislation passed largely along party lines, 242-179. All six New Jersey Republicans voted for the measure and all six Democrats voted against it.

"This bill denies women access to critical medical care and comprehensive health care coverage," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-12th Dist.). "I am committed to protecting women's access to comprehensive reproductive health care services, including access to contraceptives; education regarding all reproductive options; and support for women before, during, and after the birth of a child. I will continue to defend a woman's right to choose and vigorously oppose attacks against it."

President Obama indicated he would veto the bill if it reached his desk. "The federal government should not be injecting itself into decisions best made between women, their families, and their doctors,'' he said in a statement.

At the rally known as the March for Life, Smith praised the marchers, who have protested every Jan. 22 since the U.S. Supreme Court on that day in 1973 legalized abortion in its Roe v. Wade decision.

"You and I are here today because we have a compelling duty to protect the weakest and most vulnerable from the violence of abortion," Smith said. "You and I are part of the most important human rights cause on earth. The right to life is the first right."

Following the march, Smith and fellow Reps. Tom MacArthur (R-3rd Dist.) and Scott Garrett (R-5th Dist.) welcomed hundreds of New Jerseyans who had come to Washington to call for an end to legalized abortion.

They opened up a House committee meeting room and offered hot chocolate, coffee, cold beverages and M&Ms.

"We have made progress over the years," Garrett said. "We just need to keep persevering. Be encouraged, We will win protection for the unborn child."

Michelle Prazan of Montville, a staff member of St. Teresa of Avila Church in Summit, was marching for the first time. "I felt it was my calling to come," she said.

Near Prazan sat Mary Decker, a registered nurse from Summit, who has been at every march. She said some pregnant women feel they have no choice but to terminate their pregnancies.

"I'm here to make them make the choice for life," Decker said. "To me, it's very sad. Millions of babies have been killed. But I always remain hopeful."

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Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.