On Roe Anniversary, Let’s Remember the U.S. Women for Whom Abortion Is a Right on Paper Only
On Roe Anniversary, Let’s Remember the U.S. Women for Whom Abortion Is a Right on Paper Only
This March, the Supreme Court will hear a case that presents the most serious threat to abortion rights in decades. At issue in this case, i, is whether Texas politicians can enact sham health regulations that are a thinly veiled attempt to force most or all abortion providers in the state to close down. If the Court upholds the Texas law, it will make legal abortion harder or impossible to obtain for many women. Some other states have already enacted similar laws or would rush to do so. And, unquestionably, the effect will fall hardest on the most vulnerable women.
But forgotten in this debate is that, for many women in the United States, safe and legal abortion has long been out of reach. Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has severely restricted abortion coverage for low-income women enrolled in Medicaid, making real reproductive choice a privilege of those who can afford it—rather than a fundamental right.
To counter the harmful impact of this long-standing policy, supporters of abortion rights in Congress have coalesced behind a bill that would lift the Hyde Amendment. The Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act would restore Medicaid abortion coverage so that our country’s poorest women no longer face a financial barrier to safe and legal abortion care.
The Hyde Amendment and its Progeny
Bearing the name of its author and chief promoter, the late Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), the Hyde Amendment bans abortion coverage for women insured by the Medicaid program, except in cases of rape, incest or where a woman’s life is threatened. The harmful impact of the Hyde Amendment is only mitigated for women who happen to live in the 17 states that use their own funds to provide abortion coverage for Medicaid recipients.
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http://msmagazine.com/blog/2016/01/22/on-roe-anniversary-lets-remember-the-u-s-women-for-whom-abortion-is-a-right-on-paper-only/