UPDATE – Because of the Republican-controlled Senate, the House version did not make it into the final budget presented to the Governor.
Many citizens are unaware that the State of South Carolina has paid for abortions due to specific reasons through the state health insurance plan. Last year, South Carolinians paid for 6 abortions. The longstanding abortion language reads:
“No funds appropriated for employer contributions to the State Health Insurance Plan may be expended to reimburse the expenses of an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or where the life of the mother is in jeopardy, and the State Health Plan may not offer coverage for abortion services.”
This year, however, the SC House of Representatives made great progress in ending the practice of forcing South Carolina tax payers to pay for abortions. This was done by limiting the use of tax payer money from funding abortions except when used to save the mother’s life. If you want to see my comments, please look at the video section of this webiste.
The new language reads:
“No funds appropriated for employer contributions to the State Health Insurance Plan may be expended to reimburse the expenses of an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or where the life of the mother is in jeopardy at risk and the termination of the pregnancy is incidental to the lifesaving intervention, and the State Health Plan may not offer coverage for abortion services or services incidental to abortion except as permitted by this paragraph. The physician shall act in accordance with the standard of care to preserve both the life of the mother and the life of the pre-born child.”
The State Senate not only wiped-out all the progress made by the House, but actually made it EASIER for an abortionist to be paid with taxpayer dollars. The Senate bill actually INCREASES the instances when the state will pay abortions.
If the Senate gets their way, South Carolina tax payers, will now pay for abortions when, in a physicians judgment, there is a serious risk of irreversible impairment of major bodily function. That means, the state will pay for every abortion performed if the abortionist will simply sign a statement saying the there was a serious risk of impairment of major bodily function. Who is going to question the physician’s (abortionist’s) judgment that there was a serious risk? No one! Read the language below that the pro-abortion Senate has managed to include in the final budget:
“No funds appropriated for employer contributions to the State Health Insurance Plan may be expended to reimburse the expenses of an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or where the life of the mother is in jeopardy mother’s medical condition is one which, on the basis of the physician’s good faith judgment, so complicates the pregnancy as to necessitate an immediate abortion to avert the risk of her death or for which a delay will create serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of major bodily function, and the State Health Plan may not offer coverage for abortion services, including ancillary services provided contemporaneously with abortion services.”