Health Care

Planned Parenthood gathers elected officials to rally for Equality in Abortion Coverage Act

The rally marks what would have been the 50th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade, guaranteeing a person’s right to abortion, and the six months since the Dobbs decision, overturning Roe.

Rhode Island News: Planned Parenthood gathers elected officials to rally for Equality in Abortion Coverage Act

January 25, 2023, 12:22 pm

By Steve Ahlquist

Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, along with Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos, Secretary of State Gregg Amore, General Treasurer James Diossa and General Assembly members joined the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom on Tuesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision and made the case for passing the Equality in Abortion Coverage Protection Act (EACA)(2023-H5006/2023-H 5006.)

The EACA will add coverage of abortion to Rhode Island’s state Medicaid program, which covers over 315,000 Rhode Island residents, and eliminate harmful laws that prevent people enrolled in Medicaid and more than 17,000 state employees (and their dependents) from using their insurance to cover abortion. Passing the EACA would impact nearly 80,000 people covered by Medicaid and 6,500 state employees who are of reproductive age.

Fifty years after the Roe decision, and just six months after it was overturned, the public’s support for legal abortion is at a record high. Planned Parenthood cites recent polling showing that two-thirds of Rhode Island voters support passing the EACA (66% support, 28% oppose, 5% undecided), including 62% of registered Independents. Furthermore, 72% agree that Rhode Islanders with health insurance through Medicaid or the state should receive the same coverage for abortion as those with private insurance.

“I am a black, queer woman who is a descendent of the enslaved. Let me repeat that: I’m a black, queer woman who is a descendent of slaves. What that means is that I know what it is to be oppressed. I know what injustice looks like, and I know how systemic racism has embedded itself into the realm of American society,” said the Reverend Effie McAvoy, Pastor of Shepherd of the Valley United Methodist Church and one of the co-chairs of Hearts for Social Justice, speaking on behalf of Rhode Island’s Religious Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. “Historically, reproductive rights for women, or abortion care, was rooted in white supremacy. It was rooted in racism. There was a fear that the freed Blacks would overtake the numbers of white people and so laws were passed so that abortion would be made illegal so that white women would be forced to bear babies and outnumber the babies that the Black folks birthed.

“Read a history book. We’re not in Florida, we can do that…”

Reverend Effie McEvoy

The United States Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, said Dr. Beth Cronin, Rhode Island Section Chair of ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) “is a direct attack on the patient/physician relationship and the practice of medicine. Pregnancy can and often is a high risk time in a person’s life, particular for those with medically complex conditions and our country’s maternal casualty rates are already unacceptably high. This decision is taking us backwards. The harm of the United States Supreme Court’s decision is being experienced most acutely in communities that are already systematically marginalized exacerbating already unacceptable inequities in our health care system.”

“Our right to abortion, as young people in the future, was stolen from us in June,” said Maria Zou from Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island, speaking from the position of youth. “While I was fighting to pass the Reproductive Privacy Act in Rhode Island, back in my home State [of Ohio] they passed a six-week abortion ban, at the time one of the strictest in the nation.”

Reflecting on the differences between Rhode Island and Ohio, “What strikes me most is the passion of the young people who live here,” said Zou.

Maria Zou

“The overturning of Roe with last year’s Dobbs decision, six months shy of its 50th anniversary, is not only a travesty for reproductive freedom everywhere, it is also a portent of what’s to come. We must take action,” said Nicole Jellinek, who chairs the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Freedom. “In Rhode Island, we must use the momentum generated by this national outrage make all reproductive health care services, including abortion, available to those who seek them; we must ensure that private and public healthcare covers the full range of reproductive health care services. Our Coalition of 24 members will continue to work to protect and advance access to all reproductive health care through advocacy and legislative activism.”

Jellinek then introduced Coalition member and Vice President of Public Policy, Advocacy, and Organizing for Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island, Gretchen Raffa, who emceed the event.

“While the anniversary marks a reminder of what we’ve lost, this is also a reminder that Roe was always the floor — not the ceiling,” said Raffa. “Roe never actually guaranteed that people could get an abortion. And as our General Assembly gets back to work this session we are excited to work alongside our reproductive rights champions in the legislature and the administration and finally pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, which we also know that two thirds of Rhode Island voters support and want. The fight for reproductive freedom will take all of us. Passing the EACA this year is a critical step towards a future where every individual’s personal decision about their pregnancy is respected and valued.”

“After Roe was overturned, Rhode Island stepped up. We added more protections for patients and providers — and now it’s time to step up again. We included the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act in our FY24 budget to increase access to critical reproductive services for those who need it,” said Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, who included funding for the EACA in his proposed FY2024 Budget. “Let’s get the EACA passed this session, I’m ready to sign it into law.”

Governor Daniel McKee

“As states across the nation peel back our hard-won right to choose, Rhode Island must lead by example and reckon with our own outdated laws around abortion,” said Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos. “The RI Ready budget includes the funding necessary to pass the EACA and dismantle barriers to reproductive health care. This is our year – let’s get it done.”

Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos

“All Rhode Islanders deserve access to complete reproductive healthcare options. While I’m proud to have supported the Reproductive Privacy Act, its goals will not be achieved until access is afforded to all Rhode Islanders,” said Secretary of State Gregg Amore. “Reproductive justice is tied to civic engagement and I applaud the advocates who have shown the importance and power of making your voice heard in our democracy. I urge my colleagues to ensure access to reproductive healthcare for all Rhode Islanders by passing the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act this year.”

“Barriers to reproductive health pose an economic impact when women are forced into pregnancy and motherhood against their will,” said General Treasurer James Diossa. “When women have the freedom to make family planning decisions, their labor force participation and earning potential increases. Our legislature must pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act which would not only guarantee that abortion is a legal right for all Rhode Islanders, but that it is economically accessible to all.”

“I am grateful that we have codified into Rhode Island state law that protections that were once guaranteed under Roe v. Wade,” said Representative Katherine Kazarian (Democrat, District 63, East Providence), who serves as House Majority Whip and picked up the bill from former Representative Liana Cassar. “However, rights are only as meaningful as they are accessible. Unless an individual is able to pay the costs out of pocket or is on private insurance, these essential healthcare services are still out of reach for too many Rhode Islanders. That’s why I was proud to introduce the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act this year along with 42 co-sponsors. This critical policy will provide total equality for everyone in Rhode Island who needs reproductive health services access.”

“For the fourth year in a row, I introduced the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act because we have more work to do in Rhode Island to ensure all people are able to access the health care they need,” said Senator Bridget Valverde (Democrat, District 35, North Kingstown, Narragansett). “People who rely on Medicaid or a state health plan are still prevented from using their health coverage to pay for abortion. That’s wrong and we have a responsibility to end these discriminatory bans that overwhelmingly affect low-income communities and people with disabilities. In a time when many states across the country are enacting abortion bans that take their health care systems backward, I am proud to join with my colleagues to further ensure access to reproductive healthcare for all Rhode Islanders.”

“With the 50th anniversary of the Roe decision, I feel mixed emotions,” said Representative Christopher Blazejewski (Democrat, District 2, Providence), who serves as House Majority Leader. “I’m angry that the United States Supreme Court overturned this landmark decision protecting reproductive rights, but I’m also hopeful and determined. We codified Roe in Rhode Island in 2019, and now we must pass the EACA and ensure all Rhode Islanders have timely, affordable access to reproductive healthcare.”

See also:

Representative Katherine Kazarian
Nicole Jellinek
General Treasurer James Dioss
Gretchen Raffa
ACOG
League of Women Voters