If women want an abortion in Texas, they’ll now have to buy a supplemental insurance policy just to be covered.
Reuters reports that the state’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, signed a law that will restrict insurance coverage for abortions. He said of the measure that it would protect abortion opponents from subsidizing the procedure, while Democrats characterized the law as forcing women to purchase “rape insurance.”
The Republican sponsor of a Senate bill on abortion insurance restriction, Brandon Creighton, has claimed to local media that the cost of supplemental coverage would run $12–$80 a year.
Texas has taken the lead on legislative measures to restrict legal abortion, with many other states following in its trail. However, when HB 214 goes into law on December 1, Texas will be the 11th state to restrict abortion coverage in private insurance plans written in the state.
The Guttmacher Institute, which tracks this type of legislation, finds that there are 25 states with restrictions on abortion coverage in plans set up by state exchanges as part of the Affordable Care Act under former President Barack Obama.
Abbot signed another measure that expands reporting requirements for complications arising from abortions.
House Bill 214, which does not provide any exceptions for cases of rape or incest, passed both chambers on a mostly party-line vote. Abortion rights groups said they plan a court fight to prevent it from becoming law.
“"By signing HB 214 into law, Governor Abbott has told women and parents they must pay extra for what is tantamount to ‘rape insurance,’” Democratic Representative Chris Turner, who opposed the bill, said in the report.
Abbott, for his part, said in a statement, “As a firm believer in Texas values, I am proud to sign legislation that ensures no Texan is ever required to pay for a procedure that ends the life of an unborn child.”
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