Agenda - 04-03-1978 - Laserfiche WebLink

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AGENDA ATTACHMENT I FACT HEET. ABORTION FUNDING IN NORTH CAROLINA BACKGMUM: On January 22, 1973, the United states Supreme court ruled that abortion .laws in Texas and Georgia were unconstitutional. The court held that during the first trimester, the only restriction that could be imposed was that abortions be performed by a lice=ed physician. In May. 1973, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted legislation whereby abortions became more readily available in North Carolina. In North Carolina prior to August, 1977 abortions were funded 'for women who qualified for medical assistance tinder the Medicaid Program (Title X1X of Social Security at) and title XX of the. Pubiic Health Service ?tat. These funds paid the cost of first and second t3rimester abortions. The federal government paid 0 percent of' t2ie cost and North Carolina 10 percent. In October, 1976 the Hyde Amendment which. was an amendment to the 19764977 HEW-Labor Appropriations bill was to have gone into effect. It said that: "None of the funds contained in this!act shall be used to perform abortions except where the Life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to terns. Tn October; 1976 Judge Dooling in New York issued a pre- liminary injunct on and the Hyde Amendment was not implemented until. the Supreme Court acted in le Sutter of 1977. in the summer of 1977 the Supreme Court made a decision that affected abortion funding. on Jun: 20, 197'7 the court ruled that states were not required to pay for non-therapeutic abortions under Medicaid even though full term pregnancies were covered. Two months later, a federal district court dissolved its order that had enjoined a congressional prohibition on the use of federral funds for abortions. The 1.976 Hyde Amendment .immediately went into effect. In the meantime, Congress began considering the wording of the Hyde Amendment that was to be ckdd, on to the 1977-78 Labor-HEW Appropriations bill. Before the issue was finally resolved on December 7, 1977 after a bitter five and a half month deadlock, there had been approximately, 30 votes and the passage of two month-long =ntinuing resolutions. (temporary funding measures) so that federal employee could be paid. The final wording was little batter than- that passed in 1. 76. This issue will again be brought, up before Congress In the summer of 1978. IN NORTH CAROL=z All but 18 states and D. C. have cutoff all funding for abortions. In North Carolina, after he August, 1.977 cutoff of funds, several counties, including Mecklenburg, Wak , and Durham., continued to pay for first trimester abortions under certain ci cumstatctasj out of .county funds. on January 17, 1978, the Social Service mmission acting upon a :reco ndation from Dr. Sarah Morrow, Secretary of the North Carolina Uepartmisnt of Human Resources, voted to use state funds to p y the medical east of abortions from February 1, 1978 until June 30, 1978. f state funds are to be made available'after that tine, the North Carolina eral Assembly will have to pass a supplemental appropriations bill in June, 19 8. i