Abortion rights advocates are hitting the road to raise awareness about the impact of the Hyde Amendment on people struggling financially and highlight the growing support among elected officials and the public to lift this policy.
The national Bold AF Road Trip, part of the All* Above All campaign that unites organizations and individuals to build support for abortion coverage, kicked off Wednesday in Houston, Texas, with a rally of more than 100 reproductive justice advocates and live art event. The Bold AF truck, decked out in vibrant images and artwork with “Follow Us to Reproductive Justice” inscribed on the back, will make stops in 17 cities and 15 states through November 2020, engaging women of color and young people through events with community reproductive justice leaders and local elected officials.
Supporters who visit the truck can play a round of the Bold AF Bean Bag Toss, snap selfies with a mural painted live at the Houston kickoff rally by leading muralist and graffiti artist Lady Pink, decorate and personalize notes to abortion patients and providers and send messages to members of Congress urging them to support the EACH Woman Act—federal legislation that lifts coverage restrictions and ensures coverage for abortion for every woman, however much she earns, however she is insured or wherever she lives.
New polling shows that two-thirds (62 percent) of voters nationally believe that the Medicaid program should cover abortion, a seven percent increase in support since 2017. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of voters—79 percent nationally and 77 percent in key districts—believe that the amount of money a woman has or does not have should not determine whether she can get health care services, including abortion.
This year, members of Congress in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House introduced the game-changing EACH Woman Act and states and cities also stepped up this year to end coverage restrictions. Lawmakers made Maine the 16th state to cover abortion care through its state Medicaid program; Illinois lawmakers, two years after ensuring their state Medicaid covered abortion, passed the Reproductive Health Act, which ensures private insurance coverage; New York City became the first city to directly fund abortion care; and Austin, Texas, became the first city in the country to fund logistical support, like transportation and childcare, for those seeking abortion.
Despite this widespread support and momentum, anti-abortion politicians year after year continue to pass the Hyde Amendment, banning Medicaid health insurance from covering abortion and pushing care out of reach for people who are already failed by our health system, including women of color, young people and transgender and non-binary people. Restricting Medicaid coverage for abortion forces one in four women seeking an abortion to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. When a woman wants to get an abortion but is denied, she is more likely to fall into poverty.
Women of color envision a future where we can live, work and make decisions about our health and our future with dignity, equality and economic security. Now, we’re taking this vision on the road. We are united against the relentless attempts to restrict abortion and their harm that falls hardest on people struggling financially. After years of marching, protesting and making our voices heard, we’re excited to continue building power to lift abortion coverage bans in communities across the country.
The Bold AF Road Trip route will go through Dallas, Texas; Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado; Chicago, Illinois; Cleveland, Ohio; Trenton, New Jersey; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Wilmington, Delaware; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; North Carolina; South Carolina; Georgia; and Florida. You can also follow the tour virtually on Facebook and at allaboveall.org.
