Legislation

The ACLU testified in support of legislation repealing two laws that attempted to impose unnecessary and undue burdens on women by limiting insurance coverage of abortion, but were also struck down by the courts.

In April, the Senate for the second year in a row approved legislation barring health insurance companies from using gender as a factor in setting premiums.

In the last days of the legislative session, the General Assembly authorized the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue specialty “Choose Life” license plates.

The Senate took a big leap backward this year when it passed a bill requiring the inclusion in the state Health Insurance Exchange of plans that do not cover abortion services.

In February, the ACLU of RI testified before the House Corporations committee in favor of legislation barring health insurance companies from using gender as a factor in setting premiums.

Nationwide, women face higher premiums than men for the same health insurance, leaving women disproportionately less able to purchase vital health care coverage.

While the ACLU weighed in on the expected spate of abortion bills, including bills mandating ultrasounds before abortions and codifying Roe v. Wade into state law, perhaps the most heated debate came from an innocuous bill seeking to create a licensing program for genetic counselors.

Consideration of a seemingly innocuous bill setting up the framework for a health insurance exchange to implement the new federal health care reform law took a nasty turn when Senate President Teresa Paiva-Weed inserted a surprise anti-abortion amendment into the bill.

Abortion also tangled up a bill that sought to establish licensing procedures for the profession of genetic counselor.