On January 28th, 2021, Republican Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi introduced Senate Bill S.92 No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2021. The S.92 bill would place permanent restrictions on federal funding for and health coverage of abortions. Restrictions include prohibiting qualified health plans from covering abortion costs, premiums, placing limitations on abortions carried out in federal facilities and by federal employees. 

The S.92 includes amendments to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) limiting qualified health plans under Medicaid from covering abortion costs. Medicaid is a leading source of health coverage for women in the U.S. As of 2019, 50% of women in the U.S below the poverty level are insured by Medicaid. Women of color are also disproportionally affected by restrictions to Medicaid. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that women of color are more likely to be insured by Medicaid and have higher unintended pregnancies and abortions. 

Senator Patrick J. Toomey is a republican member of the U.S Senate Committee on Finance that will vote on S.92. Senator Toomey strongly opposes abortion rights, however, he has a history of sponsoring legislation that supports working mothers. According to Bernstein and Jones (2019), abortion access can increase educational attainment and labor force participation. Restrictions to Medicaid coverage for abortion would also disproportionately affect minorities in the state of Pennsylvania. In 2020, 32,123 abortions were performed in Pennsylvania. Almost 55% of those abortions consisted of individuals with Hispanic and black or African American descent.

We strongly oppose S.92 and urge Pennsylvania citizens to encourage Senator Toomey to vote No on S.92. Voting S. 92 down will provide an opportunity for further momentum toward challenging systemic racism, oppression, and discrimination toward women of color and lower socioeconomic status. Blockage of S.92 would foster hope amongst other populations affected by current bills that place restrictions on abortion rights such as The Hyde Amendment, Doman Amendment, and Smith Amendment.