Volunteers like YOU have said how proud they are of the victory of the Reproductive Privacy Act and committed to working with us to continue to advance positive change. We launched a survey last summer to ask our folks what we should work on next and a huge majority of the more than 100 respondents said that we should commit to closing the gaps in access to abortion!
A right is not real if people can’t afford care when they need it. Right now, state employees and people who use Medicaid are told that their insurance plan won’t cover abortion. That means we still have work to do!
We all deserve the peace of mind that comes with having the health care they need at a cost they can afford – and that includes being able to obtain an abortion when they need to. We are honored to work with Senator Bridget Valverde and Representative Liana Cassar to advance the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act.
Along with 26 co-sponsors in the House and 19 in the senate, the bill, which was filed on Wednesday will:
* eliminate the policy that withholds health coverage for abortion in the state Medicaid program and associated plans, and
* halt the denial of coverage for abortion in the health plan used by state employees.
Too many people in our state are struggling to get by and lacking the support to care for and raise their families. We should not make it worse by taking away affordable access to abortion. We are so grateful that the volunteers who spoke out for the RPA are willing to keep showing up to make sure that we see this through.
We trust women to make their own decisions about their bodies and about when they become a parent or add to their families. This is not something the government should meddle with!
Together, we will make the right real and change Rhode Island.