The Lastest Call to Action for Reproductive Justice:
PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BANKING AND INSURANCE COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON BANNING ABORTION FROM HEALTHCARE EXCHANGES at 12:30 pm TODAY (Jan 25).The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee will hold a vote on SB3, a bill which will ban abortion coverage in the exchanges set up as part of healthcare reform. Please call members of the Banking and Insurance Committee this morning and ask them to VOTE NO on SB 3. Without abortion coverage, more women will lose access to safe, legal abortions. Click here for names and contact information.
Under the Affordable Care Act, states have the ability to decide whether to offer abortion coverage through their state health insurance exchanges, a marketplace for people to buy individual and small business insurance coverage at competitive rates. SB3 would ban abortion coverage in the exchanges except in cases of rape or incest (in which case the woman must report the crime to the police and identify the assailant, if known) or when the life of a woman is in danger. There is no exception for situations such as paralysis, organ failure or infertility.
By banning coverage for abortion in the exchanges, women are forced to pay out of pocket for abortion services. This law puts low-income women with insurance in the same situation as low-income women who rely on Medicaid: struggling to come up with money for a safe, legal abortion.
Taking away insurance coverage does not reduce the number of abortions - but it does create additional barriers to abortion and moves the procedure into a marginalized system away from medical and insurance oversight. Many women need abortion services when a wanted pregnancy goes horribly wrong - banning access to coverage in the exchanges would prevent them from receiving medically needed services.
Please call members of the Banking and Insurance Committee this morning and ask them to vote no on SB 3.
Information in this action alert was provided by Pathways PA.