Missing from the March 5 "Minnesota Senate leader expects abortion funding bill to go to Dayton" is the impact that HF 808/SF 702 would have on Minnesota women enrolled in Medical Assistance denied access to safe and affordable abortion care.
The proposed bill would make accessing this vital care extremely difficult for people struggling to make ends meet. In fact, Medicaid coverage can mean the difference between getting abortion care or being denied. When a woman needs to end her pregnancy, it is important that she has access to safe medical care. Providing insurance coverage helps ensure that she will be able to see a licensed, quality health provider.
In 2015, I was pregnant with a very wanted baby after trying for a long time. Sadly, we discovered that the pregnancy was not viable and needed to be terminated-a situation that I never thought I'd be in. I was privileged in that I had access to a skilled and empathetic care provider and insurance that covered my care. The events were a sad blur, and I cannot imagine how awful it would have been to have to worry about access to care on top of everything else. It is a matter of equity to ensure that women in these times of crisis have the ability to obtain appropriate care and make an informed decision with the input of their doctor, their family, and their faith.
However we feel about abortion, we can all agree that politicians have no place interfering with the health care of Minnesotan women. As a Brainerd resident, I hope that our lawmakers start talking more about what women in our community need, instead of pushing laws that take away health coverage and harm and shame women.
Stephanie Rodriguez-Moser
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Brainerd
