Rhode Island State House is the latest battleground in the abortion war

PROVIDENCE — The Catholic Church in the most Catholic state in the nation is on one side of the fierce fight once again taking shape at the Rhode Island State House over abortion.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is on the other, along with a large number of female letter writers.

People on both sides of the abortion debate have barraged state lawmakers with letters in recent days, in advance of the hours-long legislative hearing Thursday night on a bill to repeal the prohibition on state-paid insurance coverage for state workers and Medicaid recipients seeking abortions.

'Bans Off Our Bodies': Abortion-rights rally in Providence draws hundreds of protesters

In Democrat-dominated Rhode Island, where the right to an abortion is already enshrined in state law, this is the latest battleground for warriors on both sides.

The renewed drive to repeal the insurance restrictions in Rhode Island is grounded in this argument:

"If you have money, you get a right to abortion. If you don’t and you can’t pay for it out of pocket, then your right isn’t real,'' according to the advocacy group known as The Womxn Project.

Appearing before the House Finance Committee on Thursday night,  Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea - a candidate for governor - echoed that argument:

Urging passage of the bill "to ensure that everyone in our state who needs an abortion has access to one.

"I firmly believe that in order to achieve an equitable and just society, rights cannot just be rights. They must also be accessible to everyone," she said.

Before and after she spoke, a number of women talked about the reasons they said they had abortions at desperate times in their lives.

A woman who identified herself as Suzanne Alden said she felt compelled to tell her story because there is "so much shame and secrecy that surrounds abortion that we need to hear people"s personal stories when we are making decisions about their lives."

"I had an abortion when I was 19-years-old," she said.

"It was right after I reported that a family member had sexually abused me as a kid and was kicked out of my family home. Three months later, I found myself pregnant, scared and alone. The father of the baby would not take responsibility for it."

...

"I was in college full-time, working full-time and just barely getting by. I could not afford my rent. I could barely afford food...and now an unintended pregnancy.

"I was anxious, depressed and honestly, I felt absolutely hopeless. I didn't have the resources to raise a baby,"

While she scraped together the money to get an abortion - unmedicated - she said:

"What many people don't realize is many women become pregnant after rape and incest abuse and many of these people have no insurance or [too] little insurance. They should not have their power stripped away from them by not having even a choice as to what to do," she said.

She was soon followed at the microphone by a woman who identified herself as Caroline Dooley of Portsmouth.

"To those of you in political office, I do not want my tax dollars used to murder unborn children," she said. "As a Catholic, I know the Lord...has entrusted to me the noble mission of safeguarding life...from the moment of conception."

Soon after, Providence police officer, Jeann Lugo, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, registered his own opposition to "taxpayer funded abortions."

Letters from one side of the abortion debate

From one side in the debate came letters to the House Finance Committee denouncing "the killing of unborn children."

"Take a moment to separate yourself from extremely disturbed, moderately loud advocates — they do not represent your voters or your tax payers," .Amanda Turner of

Pawtucket wrote the House Finance Committee in advance of Thursday night's hearing.

Added the Rev. Bernard Healey, the lead lobbyist for the R.I Catholic Conference: "For women who live in poverty, abortion is a desperate act, not an act of choice."

Citing a recent Journal story on a budget office analysis of the potential financial impact of the legislation that found  "Rhode Island could potentially save $5.4 million a year" by repealing the ban on state-paid coverage for abortions,  he said:.

"Advocating for the destruction of human life to save funds in the state budget is a cold and calculating policy that seeks to imitate the coercive abortion polices of China and North Korea. It is truly devoid of any sense of morality and must be rejected,'' he argued.

Added the Rev. Nicholas Fleming, pastor of Saints John and James Church:  "As a priest, and citizen who pays my fair share of taxes, I cannot fathom why someone would suggest using my hard-earned tax dollars to fund the murder of innocent children in the womb."

Letters from the other side

From the other side came arguments such as this from Dr. Beth Cronin, writing on behalf of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists:

"Abortion is an essential component of health care. Like all medical matters, decisions regarding reproductive health care, including abortion care, should be made by patients in consultation with their clinicians and without undue interference by outside parties."

And this:

"If this same insurance covers pregnancy and child birth expenses but not abortion, then you are confirming that a woman's body belongs to the state, and that politicians can decide what individual women can and cannot do with their bodies," wrote Alison Perry, identifying herself as a nurse practitioner from Providence.

"You must fund both and allow women to make these decisions privately with their health care provider."

In early May, Gov. Dan McKee joined a chorus of top-level Democrats in saying he supports the "repeal" legislation introduced in the House by Rep. Liana Cassar and in the Senate by Sen. Bridget Valverde

"The governor has been in full support of the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, legislation that is currently pending before the General Assembly. He urges the General Assembly to pass this bill and send it to his desk for signature," a spokeswoman said

But there is no guarantee that the Senate would go along if the bill sponsored by Rep. Liana Cassar makes it through the House, where it is co-sponsored by 36 of the 75 members.

Asked when and if the Senate intends to hold a hearing on a matching Senate bill, spokesman Greg Pare said Thursday, "We are working to schedule this in the near future."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The latest battlefront in the abortion war: the RI State House