An abortion bill sponsored by an Amarillo Republican is close to becoming law, reports The Texas Tribune.
State Rep. John Smithee of Amarillo authored a bill that would require women to buy a separate health insurance plan to cover abortion.
Opponents say the measure hurts low-income Texas women, especially those who are experiencing fetal abnormalities or who have been the victims of rape and incest.
Smithee defended the controversial bill, saying, “This isn’t about who can get an abortion. It is about who is forced to pay for an abortion.”
But State Sen. Sylvia Garcia of Houston decried the bill, saying, “No woman plans to have an abortion, and certainly no one plans to be raped [or] sexually assaulted by someone [. . .] in their own family.” Garcia added that the measure would force Texas women to buy insurance against rape and incest.