AUSTIN, Texas — Two Austin lawmakers have filed a bill that would allow Medicaid to cover reproductive services, including legal abortions.
State Sen. Sarah Eckhardt and State Rep. Sheryl Cole filed "Rosie's Law" (HB 1362 and SB 448) on Monday. Under the bill, all forms of contraceptives and legal abortions would be covered for Texans enrolled in the state's Medicaid program. The bill would repeal a 2017 ban on private insurance coverage of abortion.
The bill is named after Rosie Jimenez, a 27-year-old mother from McAllen who lost her life in 1977 after Medicaid would not cover her abortion care. According to a website dedicated to "Rosie's Law," Jimenez could not afford to pay for a safe, legal procedure and died after an unsafe abortion.
"Every day, Texans across our states, women just like Rosie Jimenez – who was a loving mother and student – face a deeply personal decision of whether or not to continue their pregnancy. Every pregnancy and every Texan's circumstances are different, but one thing stands: No one should be denied coverage for any reproductive services just because they're poor," Cole said on Monday.
“The Texas Legislature should be actively seeking to restore women’s access to health care, including abortion, after decades of attacks on these fundamental rights," Eckhardt said in a statement. "I’m proud to carry Rosie’s Law, an important first step towards restoring Texans’ right to access life-saving care."
After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, abortions are only legal in Texas in a medical emergency or to save the pregnant person's life.