This Bus May Be Coming To Fight Abortion Restrictions In Your Town

[demmiblue]

Source: Think Progress

Congress may be on a month-long break, but that hasn’t stopped reproductive rights activists across the country from laying the groundwork for real legislative change. A diverse coalition of women’s health, racial justice, and family planning advocates are currently traveling more than 10,000 miles to gather signatures for a petition urging lawmakers to lift the abortion bans currently in place for low-income women.

“All women should have equal ability to make their own decisions about abortion even if they are poor,” the petition reads. “We ask our members of Congress to affirm their support to lift all restrictions on coverage of abortion care, so that every woman can make personal decisions that are best for her circumstances, without political interference.”

Thanks to the 37-year-old Hyde Amendment, the federal policy that prohibits taxpayer dollars from funding abortion services, the low-income women who rely on the Medicaid program often have no affordable options for ending a pregnancy. Hyde, which has spawned similar restrictions on the state level and in other government programs, ensures that abortion access has been firmly divided along economic and racial lines for nearly as long as it’s been legal in this country. However, social conservatives’ vehement resistance to taxpayer-funded abortion has stalled any political momentum for reversing the policy. In fact, government support for women’s abortion services is often referred to as a political “third rail,” something that’s too controversial for lawmakers to ever talk about.

But now, All Above All — a coalition founded last year that’s comprised of more than 40 organizations — is hoping to shift that narrative. Its “Be Bold” road trip, which made its first stop in Los Angeles on Saturday and will travel to 11 additional cities over the next month, seeks to highlight the broad base of support for ensuring all women’s access to insurance coverage for abortion. The fully interactive bus includes a signature wall for people to add their names to the cause, a “selfie” booth, and a quiz game. Each stop along the tour will include a rally and a reading of abortion stories.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/08/11/3469683/all-above-all-bus-tour/

[Mnemosyne]

1. Did you read the comments? Ugh, ignorant people. nt

[LeftyMom]

2. Cool project, but the route is weird.

We do have abortion coverage in CA via Medi-Cal.

We've also had an employer mandate for contraception coverage with a very narrow religious exemption (for clergy and religious order-only plans) for years, and have a very easy to access program for free reproductive. health care, including exams, cancer screening, contraception and STI services, for anybody under 200% of the poverty line. Yes, all genders.

[Control-Z]

3. What I wouldn't give to be on that bus! (nt)