On December 28, 2012, Michigan came to a fork in the road. Around the same time, California faced a similar choice. In both cases, elections had consequences.
When Obamacare was passed in 2010, supporters claimed it would not force people to pay for abortions or purchase health insurance that covered abortions. Prolife people knew those claims would prove false.
In California, most elected officials are supportive of abortion and did nothing about those concerns. In 2014 the state went the opposite direction by sending a letter to health insurance companies requiring them to include abortion in every insurance plan. Using a decades-old state law, they unilaterally decided the law mysteriously now required abortion to be covered in every health insurance plan.
A federal law (the Weldon Amendment) prevents federal funding from going to states that force health care entities to provide, pay for, or refer for abortions. After two years of considering a complaint from California citizens, yesterday the pro-abortion Obama Administration decided that the Weldon Amendment doesn't apply and California can force health care entities to pay for abortions. They argue every insurance company in the state is complying, so they aren't technically being forced to pay for abortions. Of course.
Other states have had similar problems where all health insurance plans available require abortion coverage. Michigan took the other, more difficult path.
Our Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act originally passed the Legislature, but was vetoed by the governor on December 28, 2012. After months of negotiations, Right to Life of Michigan and our affiliates decided to take the matter to the citizens rather than pass a water-down version.
Using Michigan's unique constitutional process, we came back with more than 316,000 signatures gathered by volunteers. Nine days later the Michigan Legislature passed the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act into law without the governor. Thanks to our law, no health insurance plan in Michigan is required to cover abortions. People who want to purchase insurance coverage for abortion can do so by purchasing a rider with their own dollars.
Abortion supporters made many false claims about the law, including the outlandish claim that women who have miscarriages wouldn't have treatments covered by health insurance. Of course their claims didn't come true.
Thank you for making your voice heard and helping us take the road less traveled!
