New HHS Rule Bans Abortion Coverage in High-Risk Pools

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has decided that it is collectively better at making decisions about women's bodies than they are themselves. Especially when it comes to their critical health care. So much so, that just a few days ago, they ruled that abortion is to be excluded from high-risk insurance pools, recently created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

What does this mean?

Basically, it means that, aside from a glaring disregard for women's health, and no nod whatsoever to the fact that a woman is capable of making decisions about her health care, women who are already medically vulnerable. This rule cuts them off from receiving any abortion coverage whatsoever even if they attempt to pay for it out of their own already strapped pockets.

In short, they do not trust women.

High-risk pools are meant to provide coverage to people who have been denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, diabetes, and a slew of other chronic illnesses, conditions, disabilities, or diseases. These conditions could make pregnancy potentially harmful, exacerbate the condition, or just plain more stressful to an already stressed body, or even mentally hurtful (though, Obama has made it clear that mental health does not count, eh?).

Disallowing women the access to abortion coverage — and let me repeat this for emphasis — even when they pay for it from their own pockets, demonstrates flagrant disregard for women and their health. It operates on the assumption that women, including women with chronic health conditions and disabilities, aren't capable of making reproductive health decisions. It also implies that women don't give serious consideration to the gravity of abortion alongside their other serious medical decisions.

That simply isn't true.

This is kind of the premise of choice: giving women the tools to make these choices. This HHS rule is doing the opposite of that, to women already vulnerable, already strapped for cash, already possibly desperate for health care coverage.

There is precious little time to take a stand. Tell your Congresspersons now, that you will not stand for such obvious disregard and ableism directed at vulnerable women.

(H/t to Pizza Diavola)

Photo Credit: alexandralee