Thousands Protest Supreme Court Decision at State House, Call for Passage of EACA in RI
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Thousands attended a rally at the Rhode Island State House Friday night decrying the U.S. Supreme Court's 6-3 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The crowd was also focused on legislation in Rhode Island.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSome elected officials, reproductive rights advocacy groups, and some candidates are calling on Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio to reconvene the Rhode Island General Assembly to pass the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act, or EACA.
The legislation repeals the Rhode Island ban on taxpayer-funded abortions.
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The Womxn Project blasted Shekarchi and Ruggerio on Friday.
“A majority of Rhode Islanders supported the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act and a majority of the 2022 General Assembly signed on, but Governor McKee, House Speaker Joe Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio didn’t get the job done. The governor allowed a budget to pass that denied insurance benefits for abortion for state employees and people who use Medicaid and the leadership refused to allow the bill to get a vote on the floor. In spite of a constant public outcry, they did not do what was needed to make sure the right we worked so hard to protect would be made real for people facing financial barriers,” said the Project.
“Well trust that we will remember this in the coming elections. We will remember - and call out - every elected official who got in the way of doing more to ensure true access to abortion care,” it added.
Senate leadership issued a statement late on Friday telling EACA supporters that they will not consider the bill in 2022.
In a statement from Ruggerio and Senate Majority Leader Michael J. McCaffrey, the leaders said, “In anticipation of a decision like the one the Supreme Court made today, the Senate acted in 2019 to codify Roe v. Wade into state law. As a result, no Rhode Islander is losing rights today. The EACA has financial implications and should be considered as part of the budget, but was not included in the proposal presented to the Legislature in January, or in the budget the House sent to the Senate last week. We plan to address this issue in the 2023 session.”
Gubernatorial Candidates on a Special Session on EACA
McKee did not issue a statement on EACA, but sent out a fundraising email supporting reproductive rights.
Today, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of precedent and putting women across the country at risk. Today’s ruling is a travesty, full stop.
I want to make this clear: Rhode Islanders’ access to safe, legal reproductive healthcare will not change as a result of this ruling. As long as I am Governor, Rhode Island will always protect a woman’s right to choose.
I’ve joined Governors across the country, calling on Congress to protect the rights of all Americans to access reproductive health care and pledging to protect those rights within our own states. I’m running for re-election to build a brighter future for all of us – and we will NOT move backward on reproductive rights.
Democratic primary challenger, Helena Foulkes said in a statement, “With this ruling, millions of American women are now stripped of their constitutional right to make decisions about their own bodies. It’s an outrage.”
"We need a governor who will lead to protect choice in Rhode Island. As governor, I will include the Equality in Abortion Care Act in my very first budget and will form a regional alliance with other New England governors to ensure the strongest protections in America,” Foulkes added.
Matt Brown, another Democratic candidate for governor, said in a statement, “There has never been a more important moment to end Rhode Island’s bans on abortion coverage and yet Governor McKee, Speaker Shekarchi, and Senate President Ruggerio have allowed the EACA – which would end those bans – to die,” said Matt Brown. “We need an immediate special legislative session and Governor McKee should refuse to sign the budget until the EACA has been passed and added to the budget. He should also do what Charlie Baker did and sign an executive order protecting abortion providers.”
RI Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea said, "I am appalled at the Supreme Court’s final ruling. Access to abortion is a fundamental right and I’m proud that we’ve worked together to protect that right in Rhode Island, including codifying Roe into state law. As Governor I will do everything in my power to ensure that Rhode Islanders will continue to have equitable access to safe and legal abortions. Passing the Rhode Island Equity in Abortion Coverage ACT will be a priority for me as Governor but I would welcome a special session of the General Assembly to pass this law prior to January 2023.”
Read more reactions to the SCOTUS decision here.
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