Stop New York State Taxpayer Funding of Abortion-on-Demand

Amendment sponsored by Assemblyman Seminerio on March 31, 2006 (support)  

2006 Legislative Budget, S.6457C/A.9557C Health & Mental Hygiene

Senate bill S.5623 by Senate Rules Committee (support)

The New York State Department of Health reports that 47,102 abortions, or 41.1%, of the Induced Abortions in New York State in 2003 were paid for by Medicaid. (The most recent available NYSDOH abortion statistics are for 2003.)

The average cost of a standard first-trimester suction and curettage abortion is $372 (nationwide). 76.1% of all NYS abortions in 2003 were standard "S&C" abortions. Momentarily ignoring the higher cost of RU-486, second-trimester, and third-trimester abortions, one can safely assume that at least $18 million of New York taxpayers' money paid for abortions in 2003.

The Medicaid program established by the United States government provides for the federal government to contribute 50% of public assistance medical costs, and state and local government to contribute the other 50% of costs. Federal taxpayer money by law is designated to pay for abortions only in cases of rape or incest, or to save a mother's life. New York chooses voluntarily (one of only four states) to not enforce the eligibility requirements for receiving federal reimbursement for Medicaid abortion. New York taxpayers are forced to pay for abortion-on-demand through Medicaid.

Thirty-two states and the District of Columbia prohibit public funding of abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, and endangerment of the mother's life. In states where this law is in effect, the abortion rate for Medicaid recipients is twice as high as the rate for other women; where no such law is in place, the rate is four times as high. New York's abortion-on-demand Medicaid system fuels more abortions, leaving a trail of loss and tragedy for New York's poor women.

There is a vast discrepancy between what the federal government - and most states - consider necessary and reasonable to pay for with public money, and what NYS expects the taxpayer to fund. The federal government paid for 132 abortions in 1998. New Yorkers are paying for 47,000+ per year.

Eighty-eight percent of abortions in New York State are performed in free-standing clinics, not in hospitals. Medicaid funds should be used for true medical problems in this state. Abortion is not health care. 

June 2006