Rape insurance? It's now the law in Michigan

Judge's tools

Henry Lee Jones---After years spent trying to convince the public that the life of every fetus (even those originating from rape or incest) was at the very heart of their moral concerns, Michigan's Republican legislators on Wednesday decided that the opportunity to profit from the abortion of fetuses trumps any moral concerns.

The Michigan (Republican dominated) Legislature  passed a bill last Wednesday that would prohibit private insurance anywhere in the state from covering abortions, unless a woman's life is in danger. The Huffington Post reports that this measure (which takes effect in March-2014) called the "Abortion Insurance Opt-Out-Act", will force both women and employers to purchase a separate abortion rider (rape insurance) if they want the abortion procedure covered in cases of rape and or incest. 

Some Democratic women legislators became extremly emotional during Wednesday's debate as they told personal horror stories of miscarriages and abortions. Said Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer(D),"This tells women who are raped.....that they should have planned ahead for it; make no mistake this is anything but a citizens initiative. It's a special interest groups perverted dream come true." Citing the Guttmacher Institute, The New York Times reports that 80 percent of national private insurance plans currently cover abortions. The Guttmacher Institute also reports that eight other states have already passed laws similar to Michigans "Abortion Insurance Opt-out-Act,"but they also add that Michigan is only the second state to actually make available, rape insurance.

Salon's Katie McDonough, in her report called the law "despicable". For the "Right to Life in Michigan" anti-abortion group, the second time was the charm. They tried to pass this same law last year, but Govenor Rick Snider vetoed it. But backed by dubious financiers and using "back door" tactics, the group collected 300,000 voter signatures on a petition this year and forced a second vote on the measure. After passing both chambers, the bill automatically becomes law and nullifies any veto from the Govenor. Being a former Michigander myself, I can tell you that the opposition does have a small "window of opportunity" to gather enough voter signatures to bring this measure to a public vote.