I had a patient yesterday who has insurance through her low-wage job at a hospital. Liza is married with two kids, and she relies on pills for birth control. She never missed a dose but became pregnant for the third time anyway: she is in the 1-2% for whom the pill fails. Nevertheless, Liza and her husband wanted to have the baby. Then Liza’s husband lost both of his jobs. They decided to have an abortion.

Liza’s abortion cost $10,000—an amount that would have decimated her family’s finances if her insurer had refused to cover it.

At the clinic, Liza learned she would have to go to the hospital for the procedure because she is overweight and had uterine surgery to remove fibroids. She came to see me, and we took care of her in the operating room. Liza’s abortion cost $10,000—an amount that would have decimated her family’s finances if her insurer had refused to cover it. I see at least two or three women every week who are sent to the hospital for their abortions. These women have serious medical problems exacerbated by pregnancy, complications arising from pregnancy, or fetuses with severe abnormalities. They deserve insurance that covers them in an emergency.