Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) has signed a bill into law that requires all state insurers to provide free abortions to all – including illegal immigrants.
Enacting the law – the first of its kind in the nation – will cost the state $10.2 million, with $500,000 going toward abortions for some 22,900 women eligible for Medicaid in Oregon, reports the Washington Times.
According to the law, Oregon insurers must provide 100 percent coverage for abortions without co-pays or deductibles. Those Medicaid beneficiaries who are covered by the state’s single nonprofit Catholic health insurance provider will still have their abortion costs reimbursed by the state.
“Thank Kate Brown for signing the nation’s most progressive reproductive health bill into law today!” NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon said in a statement.
Gayle Atteberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life, however, said Brown has solidified her relationship with the abortion industry by signing the bill into law.
“Oregon taxpayers already cover nearly 50 percent of all abortions in the state whether they like it or not,” Atteberry said, according to the Times. “By making abortion free, this percentage will inevitably increase. We also expect more late-term abortions, which are currently very expensive as well as risky to perform. All completely covered by either insurance companies or by the Oregon taxpayers.”
Planned Parenthood assisted in drawing up the legislation that excludes citizenship status as a requirement for Medicaid coverage.
“We are so grateful for the bold leadership of Gov. Brown and legislative champions who understand that Oregonians don’t want reproductive health care attacked,” said Laurel Swerdlow, advocacy director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. “Women, transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals, people of color, immigrants and people of faith are not going to silently stand around while politicians in Washington, D.C., try to take away our health care.”
Rep. Bill Post (R), however, said on Facebook, “The saddest day of my life was when I had to vote on this bill, though of course I voted NO, there was no reason to actually run this bill at all. Oregon should be ashamed and embarrassed.”
Nevertheless, states that wish to remove abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from its list of Medicaid reimbursements received encouraging news Wednesday as a federal appeals court ruled that Arkansas may block Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid reimbursement funding in response to the release of videos by undercover journalists that exposed the abortion chain’s alleged profiteering from the sales of aborted baby parts.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.