EVENT ADVISORY: Virtual press briefing is being held on Thursday, January 6th at 3:00pm. It is being live streamed at www.Facebook.com/WomanProjectHQ. This event will feature issue area experts, as well as sponsors of legislation to address limits on insurance coverage for abortion.
Contact:
Jocelyn Foye
[email protected]
401-400-0061
Rhode Islanders Demand an End to State Abortion Bans
Health professionals, activists, and lawmakers are pushing for passage of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act in 2022 to ensure access to care and advance health equity.
Rhode Island voters made their voices heard in support of protecting the right to abortion. Activists, health professionals and lawmakers came together to push to ensure that no matter what happened at the federal level that here in our state people would be able to make their own decisions about their health and care and have the ability to plan their families. The passage of the Reproductive Privacy Act (RPA) was an important and powerful victory, but the fact remains that the right is still pushed out of reach for many people. There are policies on the books that deny health insurance coverage for abortion for state employees and people who use Medicaid to obtain services.
Right now, our state law is treating the right to abortion according to two different standards: whether you can afford to pay for your rights or not. That is not equality. And it is not ok. Repealing these restrictions will not, by itself, ensure full equality for poor women and people of color. But doing so is a necessary precondition. Anyone who cares about fighting racism and poverty must realize that attacks on abortion—and especially on abortion coverage—are first and foremost attacks on poor women and women of color. The Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA) would get rid of these harmful limits and help to make real the promise to protect our rights and our ability to control our bodies and futures.
- WHAT: Virtual Press Briefing on the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA)
- WHO:
- Rep. Liana Cassar (D – Dist. 66, Barrington and East Providence), lead House sponsor of the EACA
- Sen. Bridget Valverde (D-Dist. 35, East Greenwich, North Kingstown, South Kingstown, Narragansett), lead Senate sponsor of the EACA
- Jocelyn Foye, Director of The Womxn Project
- Dr. Ogechukwu “Oge” Uwanaka, Medical Provider
- WHEN: Thursday, January 6th at 3:00pm
- WHERE: This briefing will be livestreamed at www.Facebook.com/WomanProjectHQ.
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Interview may be scheduled upon request.
“Abortion is healthcare – and we have made clear in Rhode Island that we believe this is care that should be decided by each individual in consultation with the people we trust and the support of our health professionals. It is not something politicians should be meddling with, but that is what these policies are doing –playing political games with access to abortion. These bans cause real harm. It is way past time that we take action. We are urging our state leaders to pass the EACA this year and honor the right to abortion that so many of us worked hard to protect.” – Jocelyn Foye, Director, The Womxn Project