Senate committee issues crucial vote to expand abortion coverage

At a moment when more and more lawmakers are voting to roll back access, a rare victory for abortion rights

Published July 25, 2013 8:06PM (EDT)

    (ProgressOhio via Flickr Creative Commons)
(ProgressOhio via Flickr Creative Commons)

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to lift a ban that prevents Washington, D.C., from using non-federal revenue to pay for abortion care for low-income women. The committee also voted to end a policy denying Peace Corps volunteers abortion coverage in cases of rape, incest or when the woman's life in at risk, a ban that was out of the norm with other federal abortion coverage restrictions.

The vote to expand abortion access feels like an increasingly rare occurrence as more and more state legislatures work to roll back women's reproductive rights, as Vania Leveille, American Civil Liberties Union senior legislative council notes: "As many of the states continue their march to outlaw abortion, it's encouraging to see the Senate vote to restore equity and fairness to two groups of women who have been unfairly targeted in the past. With these votes, we are one step closer to the day when all women have access to the reproductive health care coverage they need, whatever their situation."

 


By Katie McDonough

Katie McDonough is Salon's politics writer, focusing on gender, sexuality and reproductive justice. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.

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Abortion Abortion Rights Gender Peace Corps Reproductive Rights Sex Women Women's Health Women's Rights