Opinion: A moral dilemma of taxpayer-funded abortion
Sen. Jessica de la Cruz, R-North Smithfield, is the Senate Minority Leader.
Tucked into Gov. Dan McKee’s $13.7-billion budget proposal and proudly on display at the governor’s press conference on Jan. 24 is recommended funding for the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA). The proposed amount of $630,000 may seem inconsequential when compared to the budget as a whole, but at the heart of the matter is the moral dilemma of taxpayer-funded abortion.
For decades, a consensus has maintained that regardless of one’s view on the legality or appropriateness of abortion, taxpayers should not be forced to encourage or pay for abortions. In fact, the Hyde Amendment in 1976 outlawed taxpayer-funded abortion coverage and has received broad support from Democrats and Republicans. These policies have been enacted and signed into law every year by congresses and presidents of both political parties.
Rhode Island’s version of the Hyde Amendment prohibits state taxpayer dollars from funding elective abortions, while taxpayer funding is already provided for the extenuating circumstance of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk. Now, both Governor McKee’s proposed budget and standalone legislation (Senate Bill 32 and House Bill 5006) would mandate elective abortions to be paid by the taxpayers of our state.
As the General Assembly will listen to hundreds of hours of testimony on what our funding priorities should be for the 2024 fiscal budget, I can confidently assert that the needs of our most vulnerable groups will be heard by myself and my colleagues. While I cannot say exactly what the final product will be when the annual budget bill gets to my desk for review, I am hopeful that there will be funding to help with the many longstanding issues with our failing education system, our underfunded nursing homes, and our devastating housing crisis.
Instead of passing and funding the EACA, our legislature would do better by using these funds to offer women the resources they deserve to fully care for and love their babies. Doing so will help make sure that no woman ever feels economic or other pressure to have an abortion.
Protecting the vulnerable, especially innocent human life, should always be a primary goal of the government. The bottom line is we should not force Rhode Islanders to subsidize the taking of innocent life. Needless to say, I will oppose any legislation, including the annual budget bill, that includes taxpayer funded abortion.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI GOP opposes any legislation that would include taxpayer-funded abortion | Opinion Column
