Nevada group helps abortion seekers travel to state
By Suzanne Potter
This story was originally published by Public News Service.
RENO — Nevada may become a magnet for abortion seekers from around the country, since the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, allowing states to ban the procedure.
Voters enshrined the right to an abortion in Nevada state law in 1990, so it is legal up to 24 weeks of gestation, and later with some health exceptions.
Nikki Levy, a board member with the nonprofit Wild West Access Fund, said her organization will help Nevadans and people from out of state get care.
“So we help folks with the cost of abortion care, the actual procedure or the medication,” Levy explained. “And then we also help with practical support, like arranging rides or hotel rooms if somebody needs to travel.”
Abortion opponents cite religious and moral objections. Pro-choice protesters rallied in Las Vegas Friday against the decision. Abortion providers are expecting an influx of people from Arizona, Utah and Idaho, and elsewhere, since flights to Nevada are relatively inexpensive.
A surgical abortion usually costs about $600, and the medicine runs between $100 and $250. Levy said Nevada Medicaid does not cover the procedure.
“Nevada Medicaid doesn’t cover abortion,” Levy noted. “Most insurance companies don’t cover abortion in the state of Nevada, unless the abortion is necessary for the health and safety of the pregnant person, and in the case of rape and incest.”
Nevada does allow people to have a telemedicine appointment, and then get a prescription filled. But it is not legal to get the pills and mail them to someone else. People from other states can get more information at abortionfinder.org and abortionfunds.org.
