The UNC Board of Governors is now offering students two Health Plans from which to choose, rather than providing a single Student Health Plan that does not include elective abortion coverage. One plan allows students to "opt out" of the elective abortion coverage in the Student Health Plan; and, one plan is the original plan which includes abortion coverage. Regardless of the plan, the fees remain the same. If the UNC System through its insurance provider Pearce and Pearce can provide students with an "opt out" for the elective abortion coverage, they can provide a single plan that does not cover abortion. Those students who "opt" to have abortions can pay for their own abortions out of their own funds.
The fact that the UNC System continues to keep the elective abortion coverage suggests that they want to make abortion more accessible to the students within the UNC System. As a state supported school system, the UNC University System should not be offering a Student Health Plan that provides elective abortion coverage.
According to a statement by the Board of Governors, "the University previously had hard-waiver student health insurance plans on 11 campuses and offered voluntary plans on another 5 campuses. All of these previous university plans except the one at NC Central University included elective abortion coverage." The current Student Health Plan used as its basis the previous 15 plans that had abortion coverage rather than the NC Central University plan which did not have abortion coverage.
Their statement also mentioned that the State Employees' Health Plan provides elective abortion coverage. While it is true that there is coverage for abortion in the State Employees' Health Plan, we maintain that the state should not be in the business of providing elective abortion coverage using our tax dollars. North Carolina Right to Life has been working with pro-life members in the NC House and Senate to get abortion coverage removed from the State Employee's Health Plan. Our efforts are similar to those in 1995 when we worked successfully to get the line item for abortion in the budget reduced to $50,000 and only for abortions to save the life of the mother and in cases of rape and incest. The life, rape and incest language is consistent with language in the federal Hyde Amendment.
No tax funded government institutions, agencies, etc. should be providing Health Plans which contain elective abortion coverage. Statistics compiled by the State of North Carolina show that 32.2% of all abortions performed in NC are performed on young women between the ages of 20-24 and 15.2% between the ages of 15-19. Additonally, the vast majority of abortions are performed in the counties that contain or are close to the universities that make up the UNC System.
North Carolina Right to Life urges pro-life citizens to demand that the UNC System not offer any Student Health Plan that provides elective abortion coverage. While they have shown by their actions that they have the ability to have a plan that excludes abortion coverage, it seems that they currently just lack the will to it. That is where pressure from the people of this state can make the difference. You can help them find the will to eliminate the elective abortion coverage from the UNC system wide Student Health Plan. Contact the Board of Governors to make your voice heard on this matter.
For more information about this issue, please visit the web site http://www.noabortioninhealthcare.com/.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Action Update about Elective Abortion Coverage in Mandated UNC Student Health Plan
Students for Life of America (SFLA) is leading the effort to lobby the UNC System to take elective abortion coverage out of the UNC System's mandatory Student Health Plan. SFLA has established a website where you can sign a petition, email the Chairman and other members of the Board of Governors to express your disapproval that elective abortion is a covered benefit, and also learn ways to spread the word to your friends, family, and contacts.
North Carolina Right to Life (NCRTL) urges action from everyone affected by this mandated elective abortion coverage. Take action now.
Watch for further updates.
North Carolina Right to Life (NCRTL) urges action from everyone affected by this mandated elective abortion coverage. Take action now.
Watch for further updates.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Senate confirms Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, 63-37
National Right to Life (NRLC) Responds to the Vote to Confirm Elena Kagan
(Source: NRLC Legislative Action Center):
WASHINGTON (Updated August 5, 2010) -- The U.S. Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to serve as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 63-37, on August 5, 2010.
Voting in favor of confirmation were 58 Democrats and five Republicans. Voting in opposition to confirmation were 36 Republicans and one Democrat. To view the official roll call, click here
What follows is part of the text of NRLC's earlier action alert in opposition to Kagan's confirmation:
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is opposed to the confirmation of Kagan to the Supreme Court. President Obama nominated her to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired in June.
In a June 23 letter to senators, posted here, NRLC noted that recently released documents from a period (1995-99) in which Kagan was an aide to President Clinton "reveal Ms. Kagan to have been a key strategist -- perhaps, indeed, the lead strategist within the White House -- in the successful effort to prevent enactment of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act during the Clinton Administration. . . . Ms. Kagan played a key role in keeping the brutal partial-birth abortion method legal for an additional decade." In this letter, NRLC was the first to reveal Kagan's role in covertly persuading officials of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AGOG) to revise a statement that ACOG later issued as a supposedly authoritative statement on the medical aspects of the partial-birth abortion method -- a statement that was subsequently cited by federal judges and Supreme Court justices.
The recently released documents also show Kagan taking objectionable positions on such issues as assisted suicide, human cloning, and political free speech. Please see the letter for additional details on NRLC's objections to the Kagan nomination.
____________________________________
How did our two U. S. Senators vote on the confirmation of Elena Kagan, a confirmation which North Carolina Right to Life (the state affiliate of NRLC) also opposed?
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) not to confirm Elena Kagan.
Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) to confirm Elena Kagan
(Source: NRLC Legislative Action Center):
WASHINGTON (Updated August 5, 2010) -- The U.S. Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to serve as an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 63-37, on August 5, 2010.
Voting in favor of confirmation were 58 Democrats and five Republicans. Voting in opposition to confirmation were 36 Republicans and one Democrat. To view the official roll call, click here
What follows is part of the text of NRLC's earlier action alert in opposition to Kagan's confirmation:
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is opposed to the confirmation of Kagan to the Supreme Court. President Obama nominated her to replace Justice John Paul Stevens, who retired in June.
In a June 23 letter to senators, posted here, NRLC noted that recently released documents from a period (1995-99) in which Kagan was an aide to President Clinton "reveal Ms. Kagan to have been a key strategist -- perhaps, indeed, the lead strategist within the White House -- in the successful effort to prevent enactment of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act during the Clinton Administration. . . . Ms. Kagan played a key role in keeping the brutal partial-birth abortion method legal for an additional decade." In this letter, NRLC was the first to reveal Kagan's role in covertly persuading officials of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AGOG) to revise a statement that ACOG later issued as a supposedly authoritative statement on the medical aspects of the partial-birth abortion method -- a statement that was subsequently cited by federal judges and Supreme Court justices.
The recently released documents also show Kagan taking objectionable positions on such issues as assisted suicide, human cloning, and political free speech. Please see the letter for additional details on NRLC's objections to the Kagan nomination.
____________________________________
How did our two U. S. Senators vote on the confirmation of Elena Kagan, a confirmation which North Carolina Right to Life (the state affiliate of NRLC) also opposed?
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) not to confirm Elena Kagan.
Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) to confirm Elena Kagan
Monday, August 2, 2010
Elective Abortion is a Covered Benefit in a UNC System Wide Student Health Plan
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has contracted with Pearce and Pearce to provide a system wide student health insurance plan, containing elective abortion as a covered benefit, for those students who do not have insurance through their parents, through an employer, or individually. Abortion is listed under the benefits' summary for the plan and says that elective abortion will be covered up to a $500 maximum benefit with 80% of PPO Allowance (in network) and a 70% of R & C (out of network).
The affected students will have to pay a student fee up to $750/year or $375/semester for the university provided plan.
North Carolina Right to Life contends that the UNC System, as a state supported system, should not be providing a student health plan that includes elective abortion as a covered benefit. Surely Pearce and Pearce would be very happy to exclude elective abortion as a covered benefit if the University made such a request.
Pro-life students, affected by this new policy, and parents of these students should protest this requirement and formally request that the benefit for elective abortion coverage should not be part of the student health insurance plan required by the University system. Pro-life alumni of the university system should lend their voices to those of the affected students to request that the benefit be excluded from the plan.
North Carolina Right to Life will continue to monitor this plan and bring updates as they are available. Those who have any contact with the UNC University system concerning this matter are encouraged to email us at ncrtl73@aol.com to let us know if the university demonstrates its willingness to opt out of the elective abortion coverage for the student health plan required under their policy.
The affected students will have to pay a student fee up to $750/year or $375/semester for the university provided plan.
North Carolina Right to Life contends that the UNC System, as a state supported system, should not be providing a student health plan that includes elective abortion as a covered benefit. Surely Pearce and Pearce would be very happy to exclude elective abortion as a covered benefit if the University made such a request.
Pro-life students, affected by this new policy, and parents of these students should protest this requirement and formally request that the benefit for elective abortion coverage should not be part of the student health insurance plan required by the University system. Pro-life alumni of the university system should lend their voices to those of the affected students to request that the benefit be excluded from the plan.
North Carolina Right to Life will continue to monitor this plan and bring updates as they are available. Those who have any contact with the UNC University system concerning this matter are encouraged to email us at ncrtl73@aol.com to let us know if the university demonstrates its willingness to opt out of the elective abortion coverage for the student health plan required under their policy.
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