FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Monday, March 6, 2023
Contact:
Jocelyn Foye,
Executive Director, The Womxn Project
[email protected]
w. 401-400-0061
- Budget, Bills & Hyde Amendment: FAQ
- Frequently Asked Questions: Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (H5006) and Anti-Abortion Attacks (H5047 and H5228)
- Research Affirms Support for Abortion & Health Coverage for Abortion
Advocates Ready for Hearing on Bill to Halt Abortion Bans
Statement from The Womxn Project in anticipation of the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA), which would include insurance coverage for abortion in the state Medicaid program and associated plans and include coverage in the insurance plan used by state employees.
Providence, RI– As the House Judiciary Committee prepares to hear the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA) TODAY, advocates are making it clear that this bill is not just needed, but voters also support it!
At its core, the EACA ensures access to abortion without barriers or judgment. It is about bodily autonomy and health equity. The fact that the right to access abortion is a right in name only for many of the most vulnerable people in our state has devastating consequences.
Research shows that people who are denied access to abortion care are more likely to live in poverty, more likely to experience health complications like eclampsia and postpartum hemorrhage, and more likely to remain with abusive partners.
“Barriers to health care are rooted in white supremacy and they perpetuate racial and economic inequities. We must do more to ensure people in our state can access the abortion care they need,” says Jocelyn Foye, Executive Director of The Womxn Project.
Advocates and supportive lawmakers worked hard to pass the Reproductive Privacy Act to affirm the right to abortion in our state in 2019. Now we are fighting for the EACA because it allows policies that take away health coverage for abortion. We are taking away that right for the people who keep our state running and low-income families who are already struggling to make ends meet and care for their families. This is wrong and it needs to change. Voters agree. The majority of lawmakers agree with 21 Senate co-sponsors and 43 members in the House. More than 40 organizations here in Rhode Island are pushing for passage and more than a dozen national groups speaking out to urge the General Assembly to stop delaying and take action.
No matter what kind of insurance you use, you should get to control your body and plan your family and future. The General Assembly should act quickly to pass the EACA. No more delay.
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Jocelyn Foye and other members of the campaign are available for interview upon request.