We Should Probably Discuss the Texas Thing

Photo credit: Phil Roeder, CC BY 2.0.

There are enough awful things happening in the world right now that I almost overlooked this one, but it’s Billfold-relevant: Texas just passed a bill requiring people to buy supplementary health insurance if they want abortion services to be included in their coverage.

It’s worth noting that all the news orgs are calling this a bill that requires women to buy supplementary insurance, but the bill itself makes no reference to gender. However, I doubt this is because people can buy insurance to help pay for their partners’ abortions, and I very much doubt that it’s because Texas is suddenly woke to trans and nonbinary people—although the Texas legislature voted no on the “bathroom bill,” which is a sign of progress.

Here’s what Governor Greg Abbott said after signing the supplementary health insurance bill into law:

“As a firm believer in Texas values, I am proud to sign legislation that ensures no Texan is ever required to pay for a procedure that ends the life of an unborn child.”

No Texan… except the people buying supplementary health insurance, right?

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