Abortion coverage for RI state workers, Medicaid wins Senate committee approval by one vote

PROVIDENCE — Facing its toughest vote so far this year, legislation to provide state-funded abortion coverage to state workers and Medicaid recipients won a Senate committee's approval by a slim one-vote margin on Tuesday.

The vote was 7-to-6 with Senate President Dominick Ruggerio casting what proved to be the deciding vote and later explaining: "I view this legislation as a simple insurance equity measure.

"The bottom line for me is that I want state employees and individuals on Medicaid to have access to the same health insurance benefits as all other Rhode Islanders," Ruggerio said. He said he was comfortable with his vote "not only as a Catholic, but I am also comfortable as a representative of the 4th Senatorial District. I think this is what people want."

The bill now goes to the full Senate for a vote on Thursday, and Ruggerio said: "If I was a betting man, I would probably think that would pass on Thursday, but we'll see. I've done no lobbying, no asking anyone to do anything."

The Senate Judiciary Committee was voting on the Senate's matching version of the "Equality in Abortion Coverage Act" that won House approval on a 49-to-24 vote last month after a heated debate.

Those voting for the bill, without any debate, were: Democratic Sens. Dawn Euer, the Senate Judiciary chairwoman; John Burke, Matthew LaMountain, Mark McKenney, Ana Quezada, Ryan Pearson, the Senate majority leader, and Ruggerio.

Those voting against were Democrats Frank Lombardi, Leonidas Raptakis and David Tikoian, and Republicans Anthony DeLuca, Gordon Rogers and Jessica de la Cruz, the Senate minority leader.

What does the bill do?

At its core, the legislation allows state funding for women on Medicaid to receive abortions. It would also repeal a current prohibition on the state funding of any health insurance plan that provides state workers with "coverage for induced abortions ... except where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or where the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest."

Sen. de la Cruz, the leader of the five-member GOP bloc within the 38-member Senate, issued a statement earlier anticipating defeat for the anti-abortion side, but suggesting the Rhode Island Constitution may provide a legal argument against whatever passes.

She cited wording in the Constitution that is not on its face a prohibition, but says: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to grant or secure any right relating to abortion or the funding thereof."

Although "news of the likely passage of taxpayer-funded abortion in Rhode Island may be disheartening, we should not consider this struggle as a lost cause. There is always hope, and we must remain committed to the fight," she wrote.

More: Fate of state-funded abortion coverage rests in RI Senate's hands. Here's what's at stake.

How did the votes shake out?

At mid-day Tuesday it was not yet clear how two of the potential swing voters on the committee — Sens. Tikoian and Burke — would vote.

Tikoian, D-Smithfield, said he was being deluged with calls and emails and still wading through the arguments in his mind. In the end, he voted against the bill.

As a candidate, Burke, D-West Warwick, said he "didn't come out either way" on abortion, but received the Rhode Island Right to Life Committee endorsement anyway, unsolicited. "They backed me only because I'm a Catholic and I went to [Bishop] Hendricken," he surmised.

Asked how he intended to vote Tuesday, in committee, Burke said he hadn't yet decided. But "it's already legal, so I mean it's not abortion, it's about equity."

In the end, he said, he voted for the bill so the full Senate would have a chance to vote on it.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: State funded abortion in RI goes to Senate committee for vote. How it went