A county judge in Indiana ruled in favor of two women’s health clinics that filed a suit in August of 1999 arguing that the state’s Medicare policies discriminated against low-income women with certain health conditions. Current state law allows Medicare to cover abortions when a woman’s life is in danger and in instances of rape or incest, but under no other circumstances. According to attorneys with the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy who assisted in the case in Indiana, the clinics’ argument hinged on the fact that women who have medical conditions such as diabetes or cancer would face serious health problems if forced to carry their pregnancies to term. And because Medicare covers all necessary medical care, not covering medically necessary abortions is unconstitutional.
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