The League of Women Voters never supports or opposes candidates, but does take positions on issues we have studied on which we have reached consensus. Each year LWVRI reviews bills proposed in the RI legislature, and supports or opposes them based on positions arrived at after study and consensus.
ACTION 2018
The Issue: Women’s Health and Reproductive Rights
The
Issue: The League of Women Voters of
Rhode Island (LWVRI) is considering important health care related issues in the
current legislative session. These
include advocating for reproductive rights, and opposing efforts to prevent
access to abortion, guaranteed under the Constitution by Roe v Wade, and
perennially introduced bills such as “fetal protection,” and recognizing a
fetus as “a human life upon conception.”
The League
Position: The League is committed to
Reproductive Health Rights for Women. The League of Women Voters of the United
States (LWVUS) believes that public policy in a pluralistic society must affirm
the constitutional right of privacy of the individual to make reproductive
choices. Position of Reproductive
Choices (January 1983). This
position is the basis of our support of the Reproductive Health Care Act of
2017, which would prohibit the state from interfering with a woman’s decision
to either carry to term or terminate her pregnancy. The LWVUS believes that a basic level of quality
health care at an affordable cost should be available to all U.S.
residents. Other U.S. health care policy
goals should include the equitable distribution of services, efficient and
economical delivery of care, advancement of medical research and technology,
and a reasonable total national expenditure level for health care. (Go to www.lwv.org/content/impact-issues-online-edition to read the full positions.)
Action: The
LWVRI is working with the RI Coalition for Reproductive Freedom (RICRF) to
address issues concerning women’s reproductive health. The following bills have been introduced so
far this year. To track bills that have
been introduced, go to the RI State website.
Legislation Rhode Island/General Assembly/2018 Legislative Session/Bill
Status/History, and insert the bill number.
You can also find listed the Bill Text. Click on Daily Introductions to
find out what is being introduced.
Legislators
are most liable to listen to their own constituents. If your legislators are on the committees
considering the proposed legislation, or if they are sponsors of the bills, it
would be especially helpful if you would contact them. Identify yourself as their constituent and a
League member to support the League
positions on these bills.
House Bills
the League Supports:
H-7077 - Provides that no pregnant
applicant for insurance coverage be denied coverage due to her pregnancy. By: Ajello, Kazarian, Ranglin-Vassell,
Donovan. 1/10 House Judiciary Committee
H-7095
- Taxation: Exempts from the sales tax products used
for feminine hygiene in connection with the menstrual cycle. By Ajello, Tanzi,
Hearn, Fogarty, Ruggerio.
1/10 House
Finance Committee
H-7169 - Labor and Labor Relations -
Grants unpaid pregnancy leave to part time workers; would clarify their access
to unpaid sick leave during their pregnancy, and provides additional
protections for pregnant workers who work in the medical field. By: Perez, McKiernan, Hull, Almeida,
Lombardi. 1/12 House Labor
Committee
H - 7182. Act relating to State Affairs and Government
- The healthy pregnancies for incarcerated women act. Prohibits the use of restraints on pregnant
prisoners in their 3rd trimester during transport to and from court proceedings
by sheriffs, and/or incarceration at the ACI with annual reports to the General
Assembly. By Ajello, Shanley, Walsh,
McEntee, Craven.
1/17 House
Judiciary Committee
H-7193 - Provides that any person
including, but not limited to, a minor who is pregnant, could give effective
consent for medical, dental, health and hospital services relating to prenatal,
delivery, and post-natal care. By: McNamara, Ajello, Donovan, Ruggerio, Vella-Wilkinson.
1/18 House
Health, Education and Welfare Committee
H-7340 - The Reproductive Health Care Act.
Prohibits the state from restricting persons from terminating pregnancy prior
to fetal viability. Would repeal the
State’s unconstitutional laws regulating abortion. By Ajello, Walsh, Casimiro, Donovan,
Ranglin-Vassell.
1/31 House
Judiciary Committee
H-7363 - Prohibits insurance companies from
varying the premium rates charged for a health coverage plan based on the
gender of the subscriber. (Gender
Rating). By Kazarian, Carson, Ajello, Ruggerio,
Tanzi. 1/31 House Corporations Committee
H-7625 - Relating to insurance - Requires
individual/group health contracts (effective 1/1/19) to provide
insured/spouse/dependents 12 month contraceptive coverage/voluntary
sterilization/patient education/counselling/follow-up services and Medicaid
recipient coverage for a 12 month supply. By: Kazarian, Tanzi, Fogarty, Hearn,
Ajello. 2/14 - House Finance Committee
H-7736 - Relating to Health and Safety. Would
provide that any person, including, but not limited to, a minor who is
pregnant, could give effective consent for medical, dental, health and hospital
serveices relating to prenatal, delivery, and post-delivery care. By
Vell-Wilkinson, Maldonado, Messier, Bennett, and Walsh. 2/28 House Judiciary Committee
House Bills
the League Opposes:
H-7026 - The RI Unborn Child Protection
from Dismemberment Act. Defines and
prohibits certain such acts with certain exceptions. Does not recognize any
right to abortion. By Corvese, Assinaro, Ucci, O’Brien.
1/3 House
Judiciary Committee
H-7113 - Would criminalize the knowing and
intentional failure of a physician, nurse, or other licensed medical person to
provide reasonable medical care and treatment to an infant born alive as a
felony and manslaughter if the infant dies.
By Perez, Vella-Wilkinson, Ucci, Diaz.
1/11 House
Judiciary Committee
H-7164 - Born Alive Infant Protection Act. Would
provide for the duties and obligations of medical personnel in certain
circumstances. By: Perez, Chippendale, Diaz,
Almeida, Lombardi. 1/11 House Judiciary
Committee
H-7180 - Resolution recognizing the fetus
as a human life on the existence of a heartbeat.
By:
McLaughlin, Nardolillo, Fellela, Perez.
1/17 House Judiciary Committee
H-7735 - Relating to Criminal Offenses -
Children. Would make the practice of aiding a minor in the process of getting
an abortion a civil and criminal offense.
By Vella-Wilkinson, Corvese, Maldonado, Messier, and Fellela. 2/28 House
Judiciary Committee
Senate
Bills the League Supports:
S-2163 - The Reproductive Health Care Act.
Prohibits the State from restricting persons from terminating pregnancy prior
to fetal viability. Would repeal laws regulating
abortion. By: Golden, Sosnowski, Miller, Calken, Nesselbush. 1/24 Senate Judiciary Committee
S- 2268 - The
Healthy Pregnancies for Incarcerated Women Act.
Prohibits the use of restraints on pregnant prisoner during transport to
and from court proceedings by sheriffs and/or incarceration at the ACI with
annual reports to the General Assembly.
By: Lynch Part, Metts, Gee,
Quezada, Nesselbush. 2/1 Senate
Judiciary Committee.
S-2399 - relating to insurance - Prohibits
insurance companies from varying the premium rate charged for a health coverage
plan based on the gender of the individual policy holder, enrollee, subscriber
or member (known as “gender rating.” By:
Sosnowski, Calkin, Golden, Coyne.
2/15 Senate Health and Human Services
Committee
S-2400 - Relating to insurance -
Establishes a special enrollment period for pregnant women to obtain health
coverage at any time after the commencement of the pregnancy. By:
Golden, Calkin, Miller, Sosnowski, Crowley. 2/15 Senate Health and Human Services
Committee.
Senate
Bills the League Opposes:
S-2173 - Act relating to Businesses and
Professions - Board of Medical Licensures and Discipline. Makes it unprofessional conduct for a
physician not to take all reasonable steps to insure that a viable fetus being
carried by their patient be brought to term.
By: Ciccone, Lombardi. 1/23
Senate Judiciary Committee
S-2142 - Criminalizes the knowing and
intentional failure of a physician, nurse, or other licensed medial person to
provide reasonable medical careened treatment to an infant born alive a felony
and manslaughter if the infant dies. By Ciccone, Lombardi. 1/23 Senate Judiciary Committee
S-2152 - The Born Alive Infant Protection
Act. Provides certain duties and
obligations of medical personnel in certain circumstances. By Ciccone, Lombardi. 1/23 Senate Judiciary Committee
S-2535 - Health and Safety - Would define
and would regulate, and in some cases, would prohibit dismemberment
abortions. By DiPalma, Goodwin,
McCaffrey, Metts, and Crowley. 3/1 Senate Judiciary Committee
Mary Chace
3/3/18
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