Concerns raised on abortion bill (by ACLU)

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/article/20110215/NEWS01/702169849/-1#concerns-raised-on-abortion-bill

Published Tuesday February 15, 2011

By Paul Hammel

LINCOLN — A lawmaker and a lobbyist differed Tuesday on whether a bill addressing part of the federal health care law goes too far in denying insurance coverage for abortion.

The law specifies that states must pass laws if they want to “opt out” of permitting abortion coverage in insurance plans offered through the exchanges created under the law.

But an attorney with American Civil Liberties Union Nebraska questioned whether one of the proposals before the Nebraska Legislature was unconstitutional because it seeks to ban coverage of abortion even by private insurance policies, not just in those offered in the exchanges that states must establish by 2014.

Alan Peterson of ACLU said Legislative Bill 22 went too far in restricting a woman’s legal right to choose to have the medical procedure.

Omaha Sen. Beau McCoy, the bill’s sponsor, disputed Peterson’s legal analysis.

FULL story at link.

[uppityperson]

1. Good for them for taking this on as yes, mandating no coverage by PRIVATE insurance does go too far.

Once again, another attempt to chip away at Roe v Wade.