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Written by Ashley Hartman for RH Reality Check. This diary is cross-posted; commenters wishing to engage directly with the author should do so at the original post.
This election, I was proud to work with many young people to engage our communities and campuses in the issues that impact us. One issue that engaged many young women in the election work I did this year in Ohio was access to health care, especially pregnancy related services, such as pre- and post-natal care, maternity care, and abortion care. Sixty-five percent of 18-to-24 year-olds believe abortion should be legal all or most of the time, which is higher than any other age group. I am lucky to have employer-funded health insurance that allows me to access a full range of preventive services, including all pregnancy-related services.
Sadly, not all women — even women with insurance — have access to these services. Current law unfairly limits insurance coverage for abortion for women with government-funded insurance. This is because federal dollars are withheld from covering a woman’s abortion except in limited circumstance.
It seems unfair to withhold insurance coverage or try to influence a woman’s decisions about whether to end a pregnancy just because of the type of insurance she has. These are decisions best made by a woman, her family, faith and doctor, not politicians.
These laws also put the lives of women at risk. When a woman is pregnant, it is important that she has access to safe medical care. Providing insurance coverage insures she will be able to see a licensed, quality health care provider.
Even if we don’t personally agree with abortion, it is unfair to restrict insurance coverage, or try to influence a woman’s decision about whether to end a pregnancy, just because she has government-funded health insurance.
I care about women in Ohio, which is why I supported Barack Obama. He pledged to ensure all women have access to essential reproductive health care services.
Women and youth voters played a huge impact in Obama’s win this year. Not only did young people, 18-to-24 turn out for the president in 2008, they continued to turn out for him as they entered their late twenties. This demonstrates how important issues such as insurance coverage for abortion are to this generation.
Now my generation must hold Obama accountable to his commitments. That includes urging President Obama to submit a budget to Congress without unfair restrictions on coverage for abortion care. Obama Administration, take note that women will be watching to see if you live up to your commitments to women’s health care.
5 Comments
The time to do that was before the election. There is no reason now to change from his first four years.
Democrats (and Republicans) are infested by christers and other rightwingers and will never support the idea of free abortions on demand, irrespective of age or status.
Nor will they launch campaigns to limit the spread of CMV and HIV with a research effort like the Manhattan Project to find a cure for these and other diseases. Now will they pay for massive, secular educational campaigns and the distribution of contraceptive devices.
If we had socialized medicine and a decent government we could do all of those things. but we don’t and we’ll never get one as long as we’re shackled to Right wing parties like the Democrats (and Republicans).
Now will they pay = Nor will they pay
“I care about women in Ohio, which is why I supported Barack Obama. He pledged to ensure all women have access to essential reproductive health care services.”
And you actually BELIEVED that pledge? Governor Kasich is more likely to prevent assaults on a woman’s right to choose, if for no other reason than he wants to be re-elected, than Obama ever was to do anything about it.
Obama’s done nothing but break every promise he’s made to every part of his base coalition if it benefited his oligarchical masters. Why should women expect to be treated any differently?
As my mother (b. 1923) always said, “if we don’t have abortion, we don’t have anything”.
That said, goNPA is absolutely correct: the time to have asked this question was before the election, not now. How, exactly, can one hold Obama’s feet to the fire when he has already won the last election he will ever have to win?