Rhode Island-funded abortion coverage back in play this session
PROVIDENCE – On the second day of the new legislative session in Democrat-dominated
On Thursday, Rep.
Echoing legislation introduced last year − and the year before − the bill would add
"While I am grateful that
"Unless an individual is able to pay the costs out of pocket or is on private insurance, these essential healthcare services are still out of reach for too many Rhode Islanders. With reproductive rights remaining under attack in our nation's capital, the passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act will provide total equality for everyone in
Past arguments have been made for expanded abortion coverage
Gov.
The issue came up during McKee's hard fought campaign against his anti-abortion Republican challenger
A McKee campaign ad sought to draw this sharp line: "Unlike his opponent — who would veto a budget that includes the EACA —
A past hearing brought a deluge of comments, including those from the
The counter-argument from
"This ban is discriminatory and racist, reinforcing inequity and health care disparities in our state," Jellinek said.
Citing a poll conducted for the
"We believe that medical decisions should be private between a person and their health care provider."
What is in the legislation?
More specifically, the legislation would eliminate sections of law that expressly prohibit state employees' and Medicaid recipients' insurance from covering abortion procedures, except in cases of rape or incest or where the life of the mother would be endangered, as required by federal law.
In keeping with the federal Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funding of abortion services, it adds language that specifies that no federal funds shall be used to pay for them, except as authorized under federal law.
Kazarian's 43 co-sponsors so far include: Reps.
The full list was not immediately available, but more than half the members of the 75-member House have now officially signed on to the effort.
Kazarian noted: this is the only medical procedure that is carved out of the state laws regarding health insurance coverage. She called that unfair and wrong.
It is not yet clear how soon the House and the
"There is no timeline for hearings on any piece of legislation at this point ... we don't even have committees appointed yet,"
Committee appointments have not yet taken place in the House either, but House Speaker
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