Latina Health Advocates Applaud Introduction of EACH Woman Act

Today the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) applauds the leadership of lead sponsors Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), and Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) and more than 60 members of Congress, in supporting the introduction of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Woman Act. The EACH Woman Act ensures health coverage for abortion services regardless of how much a woman earns, her source of insurance, or where she lives. With unprecedented restrictions and bans across the country on a woman's ability to access abortion, this legislation is imperative so that lack of health coverage will not stand in the way of a woman making the best decision about pregnancy for her and her family. In particular, Latinas and other women of color have been the hardest hit by restrictions which make access to affordable abortion services more difficult.

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, executive director of NLIRH, issued the following statement:

"A majority of Americans agree that a woman enrolled in Medicaid should have all her pregnancy-related healthcare covered by her insurance, including abortion services. And among young people and people of color, that opinion is a tidal wave. We are ready to change the game in Washington. We are organized, making phone calls, knocking on doors, and paying visits to our members of Congress. We are ready to do what it takes to make Hyde history."

The EACH Woman Act makes a long-needed change for women and their families, creating two important standards for reproductive health:

First, it respects that every woman should be able to make her own decisions about pregnancy. If a woman gets her care or insurance through the federal government, she will be covered for all pregnancy-related care, including abortion services.

Second, it prohibits political interference with decisions of private health insurance companies to offer coverage for abortion services. Federal, state, and local legislators will not be able to interfere with the private insurance market to prevent insurance companies from providing abortion coverage.

Notably, this legislation would lift the restriction on abortion coverage for women enrolled in Medicaid, commonly called the Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment creates an often insurmountable barrier to abortion services for women across the country already struggling to get affordable healthcare, and disproportionately affects those who are low-income, people of color, young, immigrants, or who live in rural communities.