Health Reform: Pro or Anti Abortion?

In nationalizing health care, comes the abortion question. Will abortion be covered in the Health care Reform Bill? The Senate Finance Committee is developing different amendments defining abortion coverage, and there are a lot of options to consider. The clash between pro versus anti abortion supporters in the House is not making the process any easier.

The issue must be clearly addressed; for prohibiting national coverage of abortion could affect existing female reproductive health rights. According to Time Magazine correspondent, Karen Tumulty, “It could, in fact, have the effect of denying abortion coverage to women who now receive it under their private insurance plans.” If the government plan does not approve abortion than the federal money provided to households for health coverage would not be valid towards a private insurance company that has abortion coverage.

One option is to distinguish that abortion coverage can only be paid with private funds, an amendment established by California Representative Lois Capps. However, this is difficult for lower income families who cannot afford paying themselves. Another option is for women to receive coverage from an insurance plan specific to abortion coverage, but since getting an abortion is not exactly a planned circumstance women are not always drawn to signing up.

In the eyes of pro-choice supporters, women should not be denied the right to abortion and some believe federal funding should provide full reproductive health services. Groups like Planned Parenthood, are afraid of losing the right to abortion coverage from private insurance companies as well. In The Nation piece “Healthcare reform—at the Price of Women’s Health?,” Sharon Lerner writes, “The Capps language could allow everyone to move past abortion and on to the larger matter at hand.”

Yes, I see Lerner’s point in that we should probably accept that federal money will not be used towards “babykilling,” but a national health plan is supposed to provide basic health coverage to every American regardless of their gender. Why are the health needs of women an issue that must go under the microscope?

In a National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) national survey of 1000 people, 66% favored a health plan supporting abortion. On the NWLC website it states that, “Americans strongly believe that health insurance should include women’s reproductive health services and that medical experts – not politicians – should decide the details of a benefits package.” I agree that medical experts should be more involved in the health care debate instead of politicians like Sarah Palin saying that Obama’s “evil” health plan supports “death panels.”

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