Michigan's Abortion Insurance Issue

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013, Michigan's state legislature voted in favor of a bill which prohibited insurance providers to be held responsible for covering abortions. If a woman wants her abortions covered by her insurance, she must pay an extra fee unless the woman's life is in danger. Contrary to popular opinion, I find this to be an extremely fair bill. Now, before I am haggled for not being an advocate of women's rights, let me explain. This is not a matter of whether the woman has rights to her own body or the fact that this bill is being decided by a predominantly male legislature. This is about using personal freedom as an excuse to rid an inconvenience. Opponents to this legislation yell that it is absurd because the bill requires women to plan on being raped; Meghan Groen, a Planned Parenthood representative, commented that this is unfair because women don't plan on being raped. Also Gretchen Whitmer, a seat holder in the Michigan Senate said, "(the bill) tells women who are raped ... that they should have thought ahead and bought special insurance for it." In response: without this bill, insurance carriers are telling pro-life men and women that they automatically must pay for and plan on having abortions. Furthermore, Gretchen Whitmer reflected on her experience from being raped and how, if she had become pregnant, this bill would have forced her to fully fund her own abortion. She was not impregnated and in response, abortion is an unnatural, proven unhealthy choice which is not the responsibility of anyone else's monetary funds. According to The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, only 1% of all abortions are recorded as a product of rape - that leaves 99% of abortions resulting from non-victim. Pro-choice advocates are no longer satisfied with legalized abortions - they want others to fully fund the abortion procedures. Remember, this bill does not restrict women from having abortions, it simply does not require insurance companies to fully cover them. Personally, I know what it feels like to be taken advantage of and it cannot be an umbrella excuse to destroy an innocent, beautiful life.