Abortion rights groups file suit to overturn ban on taxpayer-funded abortions • Michigan Advance

The ACLU Michigan announced On Thursday, she filed a lawsuit challenging Michigan’s ban on Medicaid coverage of abortion and related treatments, arguing that the ban violates the state’s recently enacted constitutional protections regarding reproductive freedom.

The lawsuit was filed jointly with law firm Goodwin Procter on behalf of the YWCA Kalamazoo, which provides financial assistance to help people pay for abortion care and related costs. According to a statement from the ACLU of Michigan, 77% of those who receive this assistance from the YWCA Kalamazoo have incomes that qualify them for Medicaid.

The lawsuit argues that the ban on Medicaid coverage for abortion violates the right to reproductive freedom enshrined in the state constitution after Voters approved a change in 2022It is also argued that the ban discriminates between birth and abortion, as well as discrimination on the basis of sex.

“The insurance ban can delay vital health care, which in turn can increase health risks, even though abortion is very safe and much safer than childbirth. The insurance ban also increases costs for Medicaid-eligible individuals. The ban creates financial hardship for low-income people and interferes with their family planning decisions by forcing some people to carry pregnancies to term against their will,” the ACLU of Michigan said in a statement.

In addition, ACLU Michigan argues that the ban creates a two-tiered system in which low-income individuals must pay for abortion out of pocket, while higher-income individuals have private health insurance that can cover abortion costs. The ban hits hardest those who face systemic barriers to accessing health care and statistically have the worst health outcomes, particularly Black women and other people of color, ACLU Michigan said.

Right to Life by Michigan President Amber Roseboom spoke out against the lawsuit in a statement.

“Today, abortion-obsessed activists are once again turning to the courts to accomplish what they received no support for in the legislative process. They now hope to force Michigan taxpayers, already struggling with the financial burden of high inflation, to pay for other people’s abortions with Medicaid funds,” Roseboom said.

“The irony of placing this burden on Michigan taxpayers when inflation is so high and economic pressures are taking their toll on voters will not be lost on Michiganians. It is time for change in Michigan from the top down. This year, Michigan voters must start by taking back the state House of Representatives,” Roseboom said.

The Democrats have a narrow majority of 56 to 54 votes in the Michigan House of Representatives and have progressive measures to protect reproductive health careBut they failed to win enough Democratic votes to advance efforts to repeal the ban on Medicaid funding for abortion and eliminate the state’s 24-hour waiting period for an abortion.

All 110 seats in the state House of Representatives are up for election in November.