Here's another route the state Legislature is trying to take to continue its attack on women rights: The Senate Health and Human Services Committee has passed a bill that would prohibit health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act to include elective abortion coverage. 



The Center for Arizona Policy, of course, celebrated the vote. The Christian conservative lobbying organization is a very potent force behind these types of bills. Last year, they pushed for SB 1062, which would have allowed businesses to deny service to LGBT people and others based on religious beliefs.



From the group:

SB 1318 includes two main components: protecting Arizonans from being forced to subsidize abortions through Arizona’s health care exchange and ensuring abortion clinics within Arizona are meeting the necessary licensing requirements under Arizona law.

Americans agree that abortions should not be paid for with tax dollars. Polls consistently show strong majorities of Americans oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.



Seventeen other states have the same law as SB 1318. The bill merely clarifies Arizona’s 2010 law, which is similar to many other states that don’t believe taxpayers’ dollars should be used to subsidize abortion.



Chemical and surgical abortions present serious risks to women. SB 1318 ensures that abortion clinics indeed have the admitting privileges at Arizona hospitals required by state law in the event of an emergency.



A woman’s legal right to choose an abortion does not demand that taxpayers subsidize or pay for an abortion. Courts generally have ruled that states are not required to provide public funding for elective abortions, and the Affordable Care Act allows for states to opt out of providing coverage on their health care exchange.