On a 49 to 24 vote, the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would allow state funds to be used for abortion care under Medicaid and state employee health plans.
The vote followed more than an hour of debate, with supporters calling the bill a fundamental form of healthcare, and opponents railing against taxpayer-funded abortions. The bill, dubbed the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, was sponsored by Whip Katherine Kazarian (D-East Providence).
State Rep. Carol McEntee (D-Narragansett) described the legislation as a natural extension of a 2019 law protecting abortion rights in the state – and an appropriate response to what she described as a hostile environment for women in America.
“This is the final piece of the Women’s Reproductive Health Act,” McEntee said. “This is women’s healthcare. This is not buying a firearm, this is not a pleasure item. This is healthcare for women. We women are under attack throughout this country for a right that we’ve possessed for 50 years.”
Among the opponents, Rep. Arthur Corvese (D-North Providence) said that using abortion as a method of “after-the-fact birth control is an abomination and unconscionable in a civilized society.”
Corvese said constituents told him they didn’t want their tax dollars to pay for abortions. He said the right to get an abortion would still exist, whether or not it’s covered under these health care plans.
The Womxn Project, an activist group, hailed the vote, saying in a tweet, “Equal access to health care, including abortion, is fundamental. Right now people who use Medicaid are being left out, creating an unequal system. We are working to change that.”
In a tweet, Gov. Dan McKee called for the Senate to pass the bill so he can sign it.
A spokesman for the state Senate, Greg Pare, said there is no timetable yet to consider the bill in that chamber.
Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@ripr.org. Follow him on Twitter @IanDon. Sign up here for his weekly RI politics and media newsletter.
