‘We’ll happily reimburse’ Trump for any abortions he paid for in California, top Democrat says
Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins extended a tongue-in-cheek offer on Friday to reimburse President Donald Trump for abortions he’s paid for in the Golden State after his administration demanded California roll back abortion protections.
“If Donald Trump is dissatisfied with the abortion services California provides,” Atkins said in a statement, “we will happily reimburse him for any and all abortions he has paid for in California, immediately upon receipt of legal documents freeing the potential women involved from any non-disclosure agreements they may have been compelled to enter into.”
The San Diego Democrat was responding to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ “notice of violation” alleging California was illegally mandating abortion coverage in private health insurance plans.
The department’s Office of Civil Rights said in its notice that the mandates disregard “federal conscience laws” and violate a 2014 requirement that bans discrimination against health care entities that refuse to provide abortion services. California will have to end its health plan requirement, the agency said, or face “limitations on continued receipt of certain HHS funds.”
“No one in America should be forced to pay for or cover other people’s abortions,” OCR director Roger Severino said in a statement. “We are putting California on notice that it must stop forcing people of good will to subsidize the taking of human life, not only because it’s the moral thing to do, but because it’s the law.”
The same civil rights office determined in 2016 that California’s law did not violate the federal requirement.
Both Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra rushed to defend California’s law.
“Trump is threatening to take away ALL OF OUR HEALTHCARE FUNDING. TENS OF BILLIONS of dollars. 10 MILLION PEOPLE who are: poor, sick, kids, seniors, families, will LOSE their healthcare,” Newsom tweeted. “And yet you call yourself ‘pro-life’ @realDonaldTrump?? You sicken me.”
The federal department’s notice arrives days after California lawmakers introduced legislation to advance abortion rights policies in the state, sponsored by the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California.
The four bills include expanding Medi-Cal’s family planning services to include the HPV vaccine, eliminate co-pays and deductibles for abortion services, advance security around clinics and strengthen privacy rights for patients.
California also passed a law last year requiring public universities to offer medication abortion on campus clinics.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a Louisiana abortion case that pro-life advocates hope will result in the downfall of the landmark law Roe v. Wade that determined access to abortion is a constitutional right. And Friday’s feud is hardly the first disagreement between the Democratic-majority state and the conservative White House.
California has sued the federal government more than 60 times, on issues related to immigration, environmental protections and health care.
Atkins made it clear in the latest quarrel that California “won’t back down” and tossed the administration’s effort as a political stunt aimed to distract the public from Trump’s impeachment trial.
“It is all too convenient that the Trump administration is choosing this moment – as political pressure heats up and the impeachment trial is under way – to once again come after California for our lawful, steadfast protection of women and abortion rights,” she said. “I stand with women in California in our defense of reproductive freedom for all, and we will continue our efforts to ensure access to reproductive health services.”
