State lawmakers have cut funding for a Department of Health program that pays for certain abortions. The budget amendment slid under the radar during a busy legislative session.
For decades Virginia’s Department of Health has actually paid for a small number of abortions in special circumstances, when low-income women have fetal anomalies.
“Lack of development of the lungs or major heart malformations,” describes Shanthi Ramesh, the medical director at the Virginia League for Planned Parenthood. “And so they are women who have been obtaining prenatal care, planning to continue what is a desired pregnancy who, often, in the second part of pregnancy find out that there’s something very wrong with their fetus.”
This year state lawmakers quietly cut funding for the program. Emily Yeatts, with the Department of Health, says that means the service will soon stop.
“It’s served as a safety net program because abortions in these cases are considered elective and Medicaid does not cover (these) abortions,” explains Yeatts.
Historically, the program has been small. The department budgets between $30,000 and $70,000 a year. Over the past three years, around a hundred women have qualified.
The budget amendment did not affect a similar program that pays for abortions in cases of rape or incest. In those circumstances, a woman has to file a police report to be eligible. Over the past four years the Virginia Department of Health has received four applications.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
