NEWS
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval P H OTO : M A RY L E B U S
Cincinnati Develops New Policies to Support City Employees Seeking Abortion, Other Healthcare
“It is not my job to make it easier for the state legislature and the governor to drag women in Ohio back to the ‘50s,” Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said. BY A L L I S O N BA B K A
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n light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 reversal of the privacy and bodily autonomy that Roe v. Wade had granted for nearly 50 years, Cincinnati officials are in the process of developing new policies to support employees who seek abortions and other healthcare. During a June 27 press conference, mayor Aftab Pureval announced that interim city manager John Curp is advancing a change in the city’s health coverage plan and human resource policies that would protect employees
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seeking healthcare and would reimburse employees for out-of-state travel costs related to those procedures. During the address, Pureval repeatedly and specifically mentioned “women” and abortion, but he, Curp and other council members also alluded to and sometimes specifically mentioned protecting all healthcare, including gender-affirming care. CityBeat has requested clarification and comment from the mayor’s office. “Our Supreme Court, Congress, our governor, state legislature – they have
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all failed us,” Pureval said. “It is not my job to make it easier for the state legislature and the governor to drag women in Ohio back to the ‘50s and strip their rights. It’s my job to make that harder.” As of press time, Pureval is introducing legislation that would repeal a 2001 ordinance restricting the city from covering elective abortions in its health plan. Cincinnati City Council is expected to vote on it during the June 29 meeting, he said. If it passes, Curp will amend Cincinnati’s healthcare coverage to include abortion services.
Curp also will introduce “a comprehensive travel reimbursement policy,” Pureval said. Under the new policy, employees would receive reimbursement for travel for healthcare if that care is not covered under the city’s health plan and is unavailable or restricted within 150 miles of Cincinnati. After the reversal of Roe on June 24, Ohio banned abortion after six weeks gestation except in a handful of circumstances. There are no exceptions in cases of rape or incest, and doctors performing abortions can be charged with a fifth-degree felony. Pureval noted that the city’s reimbursement plan for reproductive healthcare would be similar to those of Cincinnati-based Kroger and other corporations. Curp added that the policy will cover abortion, birth control options, in vitro fertilization and care for transgender individuals and that the cost to the city would be similar to policies elsewhere. “I also want to be clear that the city’s travel reimbursement policy will not only cover travel for abortion-related
