Wednesday, April 25, 2007
EXISTING LAWS
THE FEDERAL Hyde Amendment permits federal funding for abortion services only in instances of rape, incest or to protect the life of the woman. Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia provide Medicaid funding only in those instances.
THE FOLLOWING 21 STATES use state funds to provide Medicaid coverage beyond the limits of the Hyde Amendment: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin.
PUBLIC HEARING
THE HEALTH and Human Services Committe holds a public hearing on the bill, "An Act to Provide Equity in Funding in Women's Health Services," on Thursday. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Room 209 of the Cross State Office Building.
By ANN S. KIM
Staff Writer
AUGUSTA - Activists in the abortion debate are gearing up for a fight over whether the state should pay for the procedure for poor women.
A bill sponsored by Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, would require the state to pay for abortions for women covered by MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid. The federal-state program for the poor, elderly and disabled now covers abortion only in cases of rape, incest or when the woman's life is at risk.
Supporters say such a measure has been needed for a long time. Medicaid used to cover abortion but a federal law has limited the use of federal funds since 1977.
Critics of the bill, however, say tax money should not be used to pay for a procedure to which they're morally opposed.
"It's one thing to have the laws on the book, but it's another thing to ask people to pay for it," said Rita Feeney, president of Maine Right to Life.
The debate will intensify at the State House Thursday when the Health and Human Services Committee holds a public hearing on the bill. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Room 209 of the Cross State Office Building.
Abortion opponents are planning a rally on the capitol steps beforehand; participants will include Bishop Richard Malone of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. Abortion-rights groups will hold a workshop before the hearing on lobbying lawmakers.
The hearing comes on the heels of a key U.S. Supreme Court decision. Last week, the court upheld a federal ban on so-called "partial-birth" abortion and signaled that it was willing to uphold new restrictions on abortion.
Supporters of the funding bill are trying to frame the debate around questions of fair access to health care. While private insurance and the state's DirigoChoice health insurance program cover abortions, they say, the poorest women with the fewest resources will have to endure financial hardship to have an abortion.
"It's not about whether or not you're going to have an abortion," Edmonds said. "This bill is about making sure everyone who chooses to have an abortion has access."
The bill, co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers and supported by Gov. John Baldacci, would provide about $283,000 from the general fund in each year of the two-year budget cycle. The money would be used for abortions for MaineCare-eligible women but would come through a program created in the state Center for Disease Control.
The figure was calculated based on an average out-of-pocket cost of $350 and information that indicates that about 800 women on MaineCare pay for abortions each year, according to Kate Brogan, a spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association of Maine, one of the backers of the bill.
The figures were derived by talking to the three nonprofit providers of abortion -- the Family Planning Association of Maine, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and the Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center.
Although MaineCare does not pay for most abortions, the providers know which patients have MaineCare because the program pays for related services like testing for sexually transmitted diseases and contraception follow-ups, Brogan said.
About 2,500 abortions are performed in Maine each year, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.
Twenty-one states, including Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York, provide coverage for abortion through Medicaid, Brogan said.
Defeating the bill is among the top legislative priorities for socially conservative groups and the Catholic diocese. Malone has called on Catholics to speak out against the bill, which he described as "shockingly offensive."
While moral arguments are driving the debate, both sides agree that the bill's fate may hinge on fiscal concerns at a time when the Legislature is trying to find a way to hold down taxes.
Chris Quint, a spokesman for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said the arguments of equity and access will resonate with lawmakers but that any bill with a fiscal impact will come under extra scrutiny this budget year.
"It's another expense that we can't afford," said Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello, R-Poland, an opponent of the bill. "Balancing the budget, tax relief and more affordable health insurance -- these are the things people are focused on."
Still, abortion opponents hope that some lawmakers who normally support abortion rights will draw the line when it comes to public financing.
"They won't be able to count on all the people who are pro-abortion to vote on this," said Mike Hein, administrator of the Christian Civic League. "They'll have defections on this."
The two sides are also arguing about whether the bill simply shifts funding from private to public sources.
A private program called the SAFE Fund helps pay for needy women's abortions in Maine, but Brogan said that the amount is limited to $75 unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Maine's nonprofit providers do not turn women away when they don't have the money and generally work out a payment arrangement, she said.
Marc Mutty, a spokesman for the Catholic diocese, believes there is more private assistance available for poor women.
"They have found ways to provide resources in the past," he said of providers. "Now they're looking to the state to pick up the tab."
Staff Writer Ann S. Kim can be contacted at 623-1031 or at:
PUBLIC HEARINGTHE HEALTH and Human Services Committe holds a public hearing on the bill, "An Act to Provide Equity in Funding in Women's Health Services," on Thursday. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. in Room 209 of the Cross State Office Building. -->
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CHOICE takes on a whole new meaning regarding the "gay-rights" warmonger category, ie, drug/rape of at least one straight Bible-believing protestant in the name of "war on the religious right" to get a state law on February 2005. It's called "gay-rights"...gateway to marxism. a nice ironed (straight) BREWSTER jacket, anyone?report abuse
THERE IS NO ROOM FOR COMPROMISE ON THIS ISSUE. YOU WILL ALL KEEP ARGUING UNTIL THE END OF TIME.
That said, continue arguing.report abuse
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