FOX 19: Cincinnati mayor announces new legislation following Roe v. Wade ruling
Natalya Daoud, FOX 19
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval joined Interim City Manager John Curp, City Councilmembers, and Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio Monday to introduce legislation policies following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade.
The mayor stated that the city will repeal the 2001 ordinance, which restricts the city’s ability to cover elective abortions in its health care plan.
He added that during the repeal, the city’s health care plan will be changed to include abortion-related health services to the extent that’s allowed under the law.
In addition to the change, there will be a travel reimbursement policy similar to the one Kroger recently announced.
“This policy will provide for the reimbursement of employee costs associated with travel to receive healthcare services that are not available within 150 miles and not covered under the City’s health plan,” Pureval said.
The mayor says that he wants to decriminalize abortion. He stated that the administration has within 30 days to provide a report that dives into decriminalizing abortion in the city.
City leaders will vote on repealing the 2001 ordinance during Wednesday’s City Council meeting. Mayor Pureval says that the health insurance plan will also be changed to include abortion-related services.
Friday’s ruling on the 1973 case now leaves it in the hands of state governments to determine their own abortion laws.
After Friday’s ruling, Attorney General Dave Yost announced that the 2019 heartbeat bill is now a law, meaning that abortion is banned after the first heartbeat is detected. This could be as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.
“Our Supreme Court, Congress, and State legislature have failed us. Local officials must do whatever we can to protect the women of our communities. It is not my job to make it easier for the state legislature and governor to drag women back to the 50′s and strip their rights. It is my job to make that harder. And with today’s announcements we are fighting back,”, Mayor Pureval said Monday.
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