EACH Act Reintroduction — Hyde Impacted Abortion Storytellers Available
March 25, 2021—For Immediate Release
We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions, applauds the bicameral reintroduction of the federal EACH Act which would ensure that everyone, regardless of where they receive their health insurance, will have access to abortion coverage—particularly those who are enrolled in Medicaid and who are incarcerated. We are proud to follow the lead of our coalition partners, All* Above All who are leading this bold effort.
In December, nearly a dozen We Testify storytellers submitted their testimony during the first-ever Congressional hearing on the impact of the Hyde Amendment.
If you would like to speak to an abortion storyteller who has been impacted by the Hyde Amendment or was able to access their abortion thanks to state Medicaid funding of abortion care, or We Testify's founder and executive director Renee Bracey Sherman, please reach out to us at media@wetestify.org.
In a press call about the EACH Act, We Testify storyteller and Florida Access Network co-executive director Stephanie Loraine Piñeiro shared her story:
Like millions of children across the country, I grew up on Medicaid and it was my only health insurance until I was left uninsured when I aged out at 18. I was a teenager during the recession and to support my family of six I worked as a waitress earning $2.17 an hour plus tips—a wage that hasn’t changed to this day. I took home an average of $300 a week.
When I became pregnant at 17, I couldn’t safely tell my parents that I needed an abortion. Due to parental involvement laws in Florida, I couldn’t have an abortion without notifying my parents unless I asked permission from a judge through a judicial bypass sometimes called a judicial waiver. After searching the internet and calling multiple hotlines I found legal counsel and worked with them over the course of 3 weeks to present my case to the judge and luckily my judicial waiver was approved.
While this was happening, I was still a dual-enrolled high school student and had to work extra shifts at the restaurant to raise the $450 for the procedure. Not having enough money or the ability to use my health insurance to cover my abortion care and unnecessary restrictions like parental involvement laws meant that I wasn’t able to get the care that I needed as soon as I wanted it.
When I learned about the Hyde Amendment, I realized how much it affected my life and my ability to access the healthcare I needed. Denial of abortion coverage has a profoundly harmful effect on people and families, particularly those already struggling to make ends meet. For those who qualify and enroll in Medicaid, the cost of ending a pregnancy forces many people to make impossible decisions—decisions such as keeping food on a family table or paying for needed healthcare. The Hyde Amendment tells all of us who are enrolled in Medicaid that we aren’t promised the right to an abortion unless we can fund it ourselves. Being enrolled in Medicaid shouldn’t mean that we have fewer rights.
That is why today, I serve as the co-executive director of the Florida Access Network. People turn to us and other abortion funds for support because they are unable to afford their abortions and are forced to navigate unnecessary restrictions, all designed to delay our care so that we give up. Accessing abortion care shouldn’t be an obstacle course—and the EACH Act will remove a huge financial hurdle.
Abortion access is a racial and economic justice issue. We deserve access to abortion care at any time and for any reason. We should ensure people have the information and services available to protect their sexual and reproductive health and make the best decisions for their lives. That’s what I deserved, and what people around the country deserve.
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We Testify is an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions, increasing the spectrum of abortion storytellers in the public sphere, and shifting the way the media understands the context and complexity of accessing abortion care. We Testify invests in abortion storytellers to elevate their voices and expertise, particularly those of color, those from rural and conservative communities, those who are queer-identified, those with varying abilities and citizenship statuses, and those who needed support when navigating barriers while accessing abortion care.
