How to increase false rape accusations

[noamnety]

1. Require women to claim they were raped in order to afford an abortion.

(end of list)

[Hepburn]

1. Yep....

...one way or the other, women become victims.

:cry:

[bluestateguy]

2. You bet.

Duke lacrosse cases would proliferate.

[noamnety]

4. They would

and what's more, I don't think I would condemn the women doing it if getting medical care was dependent on them making the claim.

[Regret My New Name]

5. Wait, whaaa?

You wouldn't condemn a woman if she falsely accused a man of rape just so she could get an abortion?

I agree with you up to that point, but you don't destroy an innocent persons life because something else is unfair to you.

[noamnety]

7. If it's a choice of whose life to destroy ...

why would a woman pick the guy over her own?

Perhaps more men would step up to pay for abortions, though.

[Regret My New Name]

10. Well...

First let me make it clear that I do not think abortions should ONLY be legal in cases of rape...

Now, assuming that were the case.. I don't see how a woman having a child is even close to being comparable for someone to be put in prison for years because someone lied... Unless there is a clear danger of death and forced to have the child, then there is no way that could be compared...

"Oh geez, I'm going to lose my house, family, job and everything else in my life.... Hmmm, if only I could lie about something to get my neighbour in trouble instead"

[noamnety]

16. Here's my logic:

when clinic abortions aren't available, women resort to back alley abortions, which most definitely do destroy lives. We learned that back before abortions were legal. Those women's lives are at risk.

homicide (by abusive partners) is the leading cause of death for pregnancy women (outside of medical complications of the pregnancy itself - also a death risk). For women in those types of relationships, their lives are at risk as well.

It's not all that hard to say "some stranger broke into my house, it was dark, I couldn't see what he looked like, he raped me." The odds of police picking up someone in a crime like that are close to nonexistent, I figure.

If a friend you cared about had to chose between that (generic false police report of a rape) or knowing her boyfriend was likely to become violent - or having to do the coat hanger routine, what would you advise her to do?

People do what they need to do to survive.

[rd_kent]

23. Your misandrist viewpoint is disgusting...

Perhaps more men would step up to pay for abortions, though.


WTF?????

[uppityperson]

26. Impregnating males may step up to pay for abortions is....mysandrist?

If a male participates in getting pregnant, perhaps more would step up to pay for them? Though, to be fair, seems those responsible enough to do so would already be doing so.

[noamnety]

28. Let me clarify.

Men aren't legally responsible for pregnancy costs. Child support if it's carried to term, yes. But the pregnancy, no. All the health care costs, whether it's an abortion or prenatal care and delivery costs are the sole legal responsibility of the woman.

Men can legally contribute zero dollars toward the cost of a pregnancy. (Institutional sexism.) When he refuses to pay (or can't pay) for an abortion, and the woman can't scrape up the money in time to get an abortion, the end result is usually that she gets stuck with thousands of dollars in hospital bills in the end that she can't afford. It's not his legal responsibility.

In cases that involve date rape, it's normal for a woman not to press charges even if she does get pregnant. But if the only way to pay for an abortion is to report the guy, I imagine some number of those men would pay the cost of the abortion rather than be responsible for their actions in a criminal court.

[Hepburn]

96. California paternity cases:

Claims can be made for pre-natal care and expenses. So there are some cases where pre-birth expenses are covered.

However, there is the issue of dead beat parents...

[WillyT]

32. Misandrist ???

Ah yes... the poor downtrodden male.

It would be so much easier to be a woman.

:wtf:

[rd_kent]

36. puh-lease. I was making a point.

You can be as obtuse as you want....

[WillyT]

40. You Tossed Out The Term...

and made no intelligent argument of your point.

So... maybe you should try to now?

:shrug:

[rd_kent]

45. You failed to get it the first time around.

Your just not going to get it I guess.

[WillyT]

58. Yep... It's Gotta Be Me...

I never have gotten the downtrodden male whiny thing, ever.

Ah well...

:shrug:

[rd_kent]

60. Yep, you are right, it IS just you.

Better luck next time. Thanks for playing.

[noamnety]

44. Heh.

I'm expecting a special achievement medal from the admins for being accused both of hating women and hating men in one thread. :)

[rd_kent]

46. Thats funny!

No really, thats a funny comment!

[whopis01]

98. I don't really see how that would follow.

Why would more men pay for abortions in that case?

Being falsely accused of rape isn't going to make them more willing to pay for an abortion.

And in the scenario you are presenting, the woman can't get an abortion unless it is a case of rape - so he can't pay for the abortion to avoid the accusation of rape.

[Hepburn]

20. All one would have to say is that she was jumped in a dark alley...

...went home with some guy she met in the parking lot of the 7-11, etc., and she has NO clue who the rapist is who fathered her child.

[noamnety]

37. Yes, that would be the way to do it, for sure.

I would expect a lot of that.

Another concern I'd have is that bit about incest - I think they were pushing to allow incest victims to get funding for abortions. That doesn't seem like a realistic scenario to me. An incest victim is already being emotionally abused and manipulated by a person in power in their lives. How many of them are really going to report that their father/uncle/etc. raped them? I'm guessing close to zero. It would basically just be a way to not cover those abortions even though the victims would be entitled to the coverage.

[Thothmes]

38. All one has to do is aks for the report to the Police, ask for the

results of the post rape medical examination. No police report, no medical examination, no rape. False police report, criminal prosecution, or insurance fraud.

[noamnety]

41. Most women don't report rape to police currently.

Not sure if you knew that or not.

[Hepburn]

95. You are correct. n/t

[Hepburn]

94. So........coat hangers and back street butchers are better?

:eyes:

FAIL

[bluestateguy]

6. Well, as long as the male they implicated was an anti-abortion right winger

:sarcasm:

But really, what if the woman claimed she was raped, and the police/DA could never collect enough evidence to arrest and try someone? What if the alleged rapist was found not guilty at trial many months later, after the abortion was performed.

Sad to say, it's probably easier, from a strictly administrative point of view, to just ban all abortions than to try to carve out these exceptions.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

13. It'll do wonders for women who really ARE raped too....

watch for a sudden curious drop in a certain crime statistic

geez, I just caught the irony too...

rape reports will go up, because that's the only way women will be able to get any kind of abortion

rape arrests and felony statistics will go down because legal system won't believe women's charges

[noamnety]

19. The legal system already doesn't believe women's charges

It's hard to go much lower than the current statistics for conviction (and actual prison time if they are convicted). But all the same, that's a valid point.

And each real rape victim will have the additional trauma of being accused of making the report to get an abortion. Even those that don't even get pregnant would likely have the stigma and suspicion cast over them.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

22. indeed

the repercussions here are just chilling....in a society that already glamorizes rape for the rapists while dehumanizing and getting off on the victim.

and you're right, conviction rates are horrible already. I thought that as I was typing. I was also having an SBCD (Sudden Brain Cell Death) too at that moment-- couldn't think of the word, "convict". Was driving me nuts.

The testosterone worship in this country is sickening.

As an interesting aside, I recently read somewhtere that Sweden is the best country to be a woman, because the culture there appreciates both genders as human beings.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[alphafemale]

21. I would condemn her. And if there is a Hell I would hope she burns.

Condemning someone to several years in prison and then ruining their life as being branded as a sex-offender for life over a few hundred dollars would be something that only the vilest of humans would stoop to.

[uppityperson]

29. "I was dragged into the bushes and raped by someone I didn't even see"

It is possible to make that claim, though falsely claiming rape will work against those who really are raped.

And perhaps you missed rape being only excuse for an abortion, which is how I took OP.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

25. So you would support an innocent persons live being ruined and them being imprisoned for your cause?

[noamnety]

31. I would support making a claim against an anonymous "criminal I couldn't identify"

more than I would support denying health care to women.

Which do you think is the lesser of two evils?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

35. Just making sure.

[Thothmes]

39. other than if proven false, it is a felony.

[noamnety]

43. Well, yes, it's a felony.

In some countries it's a crime for women to wear pants, but we cheer the women who break that law - because we recognize that some laws are designed to be sexist and we don't normally support those types of laws (in other countries).

Restricting access to specific health care procedures based on whether a woman had sex consensually or not would be an example of one of those laws.
Imagine if insurance coverage for cancer only allowed chemo if the person had never consensually done anything to increase their risk of cancer (diet, smoking, living near a pollution site, etc.). We don't normally use health care access in punitive ways - except traditionally to control "sluts."

Even now, there's the issue of insurance companies refusing to treat women for injuries if they were assaulted by someone they've had sex with - because that's considered a "preexisting condition." Imagine if they refused to treat injuries to a man if his friend knifed him in a fight over a gambling debt - being friends with a violent guy isn't considered a preexisting condition in that case. Funny how that works.

[ZombieHorde]

55. Women who falsely accuse others of rape should go to prison for being a danger to society. nt

[noamnety]

63. People who legislate to restrict access to women's health care

should go to prison for being a danger to society.

They are a much more tangible threat to women's safety than someone who makes a false report of an unidentifiable rapist.

[ZombieHorde]

65. You may have a point about those who legislate to restrict access to women's health care.

"They are a much more tangible threat to women's safety than someone who makes a false report of an unidentifiable rapist."

You originally stated, "If it's a choice of whose life to destroy ... why would a woman pick the guy over her own?"

You seem to have changed your stance since that statement, which I am happy to read.

[noamnety]

3. Interesting decision for someone to unrec this.

Seriously - it doesn't bother me, it's just interesting that someone doesn't want that discussed.

If insurance coverage (and avoidance of giving birth) is based on stating that a condition was the result of a very specific set of circumstances, I believe a fair amount of women would opt to lie to the insurance company. (And I wouldn't condemn them for it if they did.)

I have no clue how insurance companies are going to decide - in time for an abortion to occur - whether or not each woman is "presumed to be lying" until a rapist is successfully prosecuted.(That's how our justice system works in a he said/she said case - rape victims are presumed to be lying, rapists are presumed innocent).

What of the women who really are raped, and the insurance company refuses to believe them?

[rd_kent]

24. Unrec'ing does NOT mean someone does not want a topic discussed

It means a person feels it has no place on the greatest page. Grow up.

[cali]

8. you evidently don't think much of women.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

11. I don't think this is intended as a dig against women

If a person is in a desperate situation with only one path left open to them to escape, some tend to take that path.

Not all people in such a situation would make that choice, but there will be some who see no other alternative.

Of course, the legislation could be written in such a way as to require a previous, timely police report, which would then close even this path for some women.

[noamnety]

18. Lone Star is right.

It's not a dig against women at all.

It's people doing what they need to do to obtain needed health care if the government creates unnecessary obstacles based on fundamentalist religious beliefs. It's more about circumventing dumbass laws to do what needs to be done.

Back alley abortions are also against the law, and they put not only the person getting an abortion at a severe health risk, but they also put the person performing the abortion at a huge legal risk - but I never blamed the women who got them. That's a slightly different analogy because the person performing it consents to perform it ... but all the same the woman is willing to screw up someone else's life in order to get the abortion done, so there are some ethical similarities.

[cynatnite]

27. agree. n/t

[Lone_Star_Dem]

9. There'd be a rash of "unidentified assailants" committing rape

Sadly, all this would do in the end is make it all the more difficult to actually identify and prosecute real rape cases.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

12. and would said abortion only be performed

AFTER the guy was caught, accused, and proven guilty?

What's the actual reporting percentaqe? And what's the actual found guilty ratio?

Fabulous for actual rape victims AND women who are just sluts (kreist, do I need the :sarcasm: thingy?)

[seabeyond]

15. insurance doesnt cover abortion now does it? females have to pay now. why,

not having abortion in another plan would htat change anything

[noamnety]

17. Most insurance companies do cover abortions.

(reference: http://www.prochoice.org/pregnant/common/)

on edit: doesn't surprise me, as they are ruled more by profit than religious convictions (unless you count worshiping money). It's cheaper to pay for an abortion than labor and delivery.

[seabeyond]

33. surprised. but then the few i knew who got abortions probably didnt

have insurance anyway, and were left to pay cash.

i really would not think that insurance would cover.

i had to pay extra for preg coverage.

[seabeyond]

56. not true. 2/3 cover at least SOME.... there is a lot of leeway in this comment on the site

[noamnety]

61. There is some leeway in their wording

but they do specify "elective" abortion when they say 2/3's cover it. I'm sure there are restrictions on time periods, I'm not sure what other sorts of restrictions that would refer to, if they specify birth defects, or which coverage plan you are paying for, or what.

[cynatnite]

57. Well, BCBS calls miscarriages "abortions" and denies coverage...

I think that statement at the site you used is very vague and hard to find stats to back it up. Some insurances will cover in instances when the life of the mother is at risk.

Most will not cover elective abortions.

[uppityperson]

30. Clarification please. Do you mean financially afford, or be allowed an abortion?

Seems there are people here assuming each of those and some clarification would be nice. Thank you.

[noamnety]

34. There is an overlap between those options.

For women who can afford an abortion without insurance coverage, this isn't an issue. They aren't being denied access to an abortion.

For women in poverty, being able to afford an abortion is equivalent to having access to an abortion (unless we're talking back alley). If you need to pay for it and you flat out don't have the money and don't have credit, the abortion's not happening.

There's obviously a lot of that already happening to women in poverty now. The concern was over lawmakers trying to legislate that you must report a rape in order to get funding (i.e. access) to abortions if you are poor.

[Odin2005]

42. K&R!

[951-Riverside]

47. Disgusting! Only a low life piece of shit put an innocent man behind bars for years...

just to afford an abortion.

If you think this behavior is somehow justified ...well I'll just leave it at that because I don't want to get banned.

[Odin2005]

48. maybe if enough men were terrified of being accused of rape they would quit opposing abortion.

And I'm a guy, BTW.

[PeaceNikki]

49. Interesting.

Not advocating false accusations, but men will never ever experience the fear and terror of an unwanted pregnancy in the same way that a woman can.

[951-Riverside]

51. Are you insane?!

Most of the men who would suffer from this don't have any say in laws/policy on abortion and likely can't afford legal counsel to fight off a false rape charge.

And I'm a guy, BTW.

Great, visit your local law maker's office and cut off your own penis inside. If enough men like you did this policy makers would think twice before opposing abortion.

[lumberjack_jeff]

97. No more so than the dozens of DU'ers who recommended this thread.

There is a compelling need for a mens forum here.

[noamnety]

53. Not just 'quit opposing it"

but actively fight for pro-choice legislation.

It's sort of like people oppose the Iraq war, and - although I oppose a draft, I also recognize that if we did have a draft, people would do more than shrug and say "um, yeah, I don't support that" or go to a march once a month. The righteously angry activism generally comes strongest from people who are actively threatened in direct ways by what's happening.

[Odin2005]

54. 'Xactly!

[TCJ70]

68. Blackmail! The way to WIN! n/t

[noamnety]

52. Do you think it's a likely scenario though?

Do you think more women would make more false accusations in order to get access to abortions if that's what they were required to do to get one?

Also - do you think only a low life piece of shit would return to back alley abortion days to save a few tax dollars? I'd love to see men equally outraged at what women are very much on the verge of here, instead of directing their outrage at a hypothetical.

[varelse]

50. the law of unintended consequences

strikes again.

[cynatnite]

59. This is so fucking offensive and a completely ignorant statement...

How many women do you know who are willing to risk going to jail? They'd have to file a police report for one thing and it would take little to no investigation to figure out a woman was lying.

[noamnety]

62. Women who want to terminate a pregnancy

will often take risks to ensure it happens. That's nothing new.

Given the existing scenarios of men punching women - sometimes with the women's consent even! - to try to terminate a pregnancy, I don't see this as a huge leap.

I can even envision boyfriends roughing up a woman - with her consent - to help bolster her evidence that she was raped (by some dude in the bushes).

From my neck of the woods:

"After an investigation, police determined that prior to a miscarriage, the 16-year-old mother of the unborn child -- with the help of the 16-year-old father -- may have attempted to abort the fetus.

"Without getting graphic, it involved a baseball bat," said Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith.

Smith said the male youth -- with the consent of the mother -- hit the pregnant teen in the abdomen with a decorative-type wooden baseball bat every other day for three weeks."

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/3930027/detail.html

I find it more unbelievable that no women would take advantage of a loophole that allows them access to health care, despite the risks. Honestly, the jail sentence if they even got one would likely be less expensive and less likely to result in bankruptcy than labor and delivery.
The woman who faked the police reports about the B carved in her face just got probation. That's way less of a traumatic event than being forced to carry a pregnancy to term against your will.

[cynatnite]

66. Do you know anything about rape test kits?

Do you know anything about physical exams, corroborating evidence, or being faced with a prison sentence for falsely reporting a crime?

Yes, some women and girls will go this kind of extreme when they are out of options, but to tell a story, make up an attacker, and take that to the police is a huge leap.

Insurance companies want police reports and evidence to back up claims. Doctors and cops who have a lot of experience with real rape victims can pretty easily take apart a story.

A woman who would make up such a thing would find herself in more trouble than she would have been if she'd used a baseball bat to abort a fetus.

Your argument is not based on logic or even in the real world.

[noamnety]

73. Rape test kits, heh.

You're assuming a false report would come within hours of when the alleged assault happened.

In reality a false report to get access to abortion would come after the woman finds out she's pregnant and decides to get an abortion, 6 or so weeks after the "alleged" rape. (And thinking about it, that would negate the need for a guy to help rough up a woman to create "evidence.")

How many of those rape kits are administered that long after a rape, eh?

[cynatnite]

78. Without the proper evidence, insurance will not provide coverage...

Period.

I spent a lot of years in the medical field and I can tell you that for a fact.

[noamnety]

92. So with this new amendment

they aren't going to cover most abortions for rape victims anyway, if I'm reading you right.

And certain types of rapes would be automatically excluded from coverage, like spousal rape, date rape with no injuries. He said/she said scenarios, where there is NO way to prove who is telling the truth, rape committed through coercion or threat rather than actual violence.

I don't know any women who have gone to the hospital for a rape kit/exam because their partner forced them to have sex - not even the ones who came into work the next day crying and still bleeding from it, let alone the ones who aren't injured.

I also don't know how the hospital evidence - in the minority of victims who do go to the ER - would even get to insurance companies in a reliable way in time for an abortion.

"April 16, 2009

According to a new report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) at least 12,669 untested sexual assault kits have been languishing in police storage facilities and crime labs in Los Angeles County. "

(snip)

"When kits are finally tested months, and even worse, years after the experience, victims may also be resistant to revisiting the trauma. "

http://www.womensmediacenter.com/ex/041609.html

A backlog of over 12 THOUSAND? In one county alone? We're supposed to rely on that to get access to abortions???

[DRoseDARs]

64. A few of you are missing what the OP is getting at; it's related to "coat-hanger" abortions...

The argument here is if Congress makes it difficult for women to get abortions due to lack of coverage, even IF they have health insurance, then some may seek the tragic route of false rape accusations in order to get an abortion much as women sought "back alley" abortions when qualified doctors were forbidden to provide safe procedures. Legislating away abortions won't stop abortions, it will only endanger peoples' lives.

The OP is remarking on the Law of Unintended Consequences.

[cynatnite]

67. The OP picked a poor way to make a point.. n/t

[seabeyond]

69. yes. nt

[DRoseDARs]

70. No, s/he didn't. An increase in false accusations WILL occur if it is made harder for women...

...to get abortions due to that fucking amendment if it survives to a presidential signature. That's the point. It may be crass, but reality abides by no one's sensibilities.

[cynatnite]

71. The so-called "increase in false accusations" is a bogus argument...

I've worked in ER's where we saw real assault victims. The process is very detailed and a false accusation is probably one of the easiest to find. Anyone who knows anything about physical evidence and police procedures will know a false accusation.

Think about it.

[DRoseDARs]

75. Are you trying to tell us that no false rape allegation has ever gotten past the woman's lips?

Seriously? :wtf:

How Often Do Women Falsely Cry Rape?

It does happen in the thousands, conservative estimates (as in limited in number, not political "conservative") are 20,000 out of 200,000 cases/yr, meaning 8-10% of allegations based on more reasonable studies of the matter.

There's a bit of legislation out there being discussed that would increase the penalties of filing false reports, but again the Law of Unintended Consequences would come into play as it would run the risk of discouraging real rape victims from coming forward.

[cynatnite]

76. I don't know where you read that in my statements...

I'm saying that the OP's assertion that false rape claims will increase in order to get an abortion is bogus.

[DRoseDARs]

79. In the interests of remaining civil, let's just disagree on that.

This is just one of those topics where it is far too easy for otherwise like-minded individuals to end up being at each others throats for really no good reason.

[cynatnite]

80. Disagree on what?

You misunderstood what I was saying or I wasn't clear enough in my assertion. That's all. :shrug:

[DRoseDARs]

81. You keep asserting that false rape allegations WON'T increase, I and the OP assert they WILL...

...if Congress legislatively make it difficult for regular women to get abortions that might otherwise be covered by health insurance. How is that confusing?

[cynatnite]

82. I'm basing it on my experience of working in the medical field...

what insurance companies require in order to cover claims, working with police in those investigations and more.

The OP and you have not shown any logical reason why there would be an increase of false accusation.

[DRoseDARs]

89. And again we come back to just disagreeing on that. I already provided a link to a Slate article...

...written by a female Yale Law professor who, unlike you as a health care worker, might have the time to actually look deeper into the data across a wide range of facilities that provide that data instead of a limited segment of the field (unless you're Super Nurse and have worked at all or most such facilities) and research the matter. I'd imagine you'd be rather busy on the front lines, too busy to really see what the data might actually be saying in a larger context regarding rape allegations.

You and I are not going to agree on whether or not an increase will be seen if legislation interferes with the insurance end of abortion. The phenomenon of false accusations is real, the threat of further impinging on a woman's right to choose is real (the Stupak Amendment passed earlier tonight) and the threat of the two combining into something ugly is not to be dismissed. You put restrictions on abortions, some women will find other ways to get them. A false allegation will stem from the mistaken belief that an otherwise regular non-rape-related abortion would be covered if the allegation of rape is made; under the belief that the woman could shame the insurance company into covering the non-rape-related abortion they would otherwise not cover (since otherwise the woman wouldn't be making a false accusation, she would just be asking for a non-rape-related abortion) due to legislation prohibiting them from covering the regular non-rape-related abortion in the first place. People will lie to get what they want, even if that means breaking the law and/or destroying others' lives to do it. That's the concern here, that such behavior will increase. It hurts real rape victims, it hurts innocent people.

[cynatnite]

93. I never said there were no false accusations and it's far from a phenomena...

I'm talking about how difficult it is to fake a rape. There is a lot that goes into a physical examination alone that can help determine if a rape happened. There is also police involvement and their investigation. The process is detailed and complicated. It does not take much to prove a woman is lying about it. Also, insurance companies rely on reports from doctors to determine coverage.

To claim you were raped and you lie about it, you have to have physical evidence on your person and a logical story that can hold up under scrutiny. That's not to mention the fact that people go to jail for falsely reporting a crime. Women face even a worse stigma by accusing someone of raping them when in fact it never happened.

The notion that these false accusations will increase just so a woman can get an abortion is ludicrous. There is too much involved and the chances of it holding up under scrutiny is slim to none.

I know about rapes, I've assisted doctors in rapes and I know the physical evidence they look for. I've been there when police question victims of rape and I know how insurance companies receive their claims. I know what they require in order to pay those claims. You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but that is real life experience. There is a lot that goes into this which is why I don't believe a false claim like this would hold up.

[seabeyond]

72. insurance, medicaide, or military insurance never covered abortion.

this is not changing a damn thing

[noamnety]

74. Why are you saying "insurance never covered abortion"

when we already discussed a link stating most insurance does elective abortions to some degree?

As for medicaid, abortion coverage varies from state to state, it's incorrect to state it never covered abortion.

Tricare doesn't cover it, that's true - and it's beyond disgraceful. And maybe to be expected - the military thrives on sexism. In that regard, they shouldn't ever be held up as a role model for new legislation.

[cynatnite]

77. There are NO stats saying that majority of insurances cover elective abortion...

Taking one vague sentence and proclaiming as true does not a fact make.

[DRoseDARs]

83. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) covers >100 million Americans

Anthem BCBS California offers "service" for abortions (code 84), so there's that. How it applies to the BCBSA as a whole or under what policies I can't say. Good luck getting more viable information out of Anthem BCBS. I've been waiting since 2006 for a list I requested of covered doctors in the Reno/Sparks area.

[cynatnite]

85. Which BCBS has a history of denying services in general...

As far as this it's usually only for when the life of the mother is at risk, some instances of rape like incest and all. It's not information that BCBS wants out for the public.

Oh, also...BCBS likes to call miscarriages abortions as if they were elective so they can deny coverage.

http://www.feministing.com/archives/007798.html

[DRoseDARs]

86. Oh believe me, I don't particularly enjoy self-paying them $278/mnth for the privilege of...

...not knowing if I'll get the coverage I need if God forbid I should ever need it in the event of a serious trauma/illness.

[cynatnite]

88. I hear you...

We've had problems with ours. If we could do away with it we would. Husband and I are vets, but our son needs it. What do you do?

[DRoseDARs]

90. What do you do? Ask your Congresscritters and President to provide meaningful health care reform.

;)

[noamnety]

84. Credibility:

A cited source (National Abortion Federation) which states:

"Q. Does insurance cover the cost of an abortion?
A. Almost two-thirds of insurance companies cover elective abortion to some degree."

vs.

A person on an internet forum who hasn't provided any references at all, saying "no it doesn't."

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For now I'm sticking with the National Abortion Federation's word, sorry.

Here's a more in depth article:

"The Guttmacher Institute’s federally supported study, assessing levels of insurance coverage for a wide range of reproductive health services, found that 87% of typical employer-based insurance policies in 2002 covered medically necessary or appropriate abortions; the data can be found in Table 1 here.

Importantly, the 87% of plans that covered abortions did not include plans that offered abortion coverage only in very limited circumstances (such as rape and incest, or to protect the woman’s life). Only a very small number of respondents offered such limited coverage, and they were not included in the study’s findings.

The study queried all large insurers (with at least 100,000 enrollees) and a random, nationally representative sample of small insurers.
The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 46% of covered workers had coverage for abortion. The data were released as part of its 2003 Annual Employer Health Benefits Survey."

http://www.guttmacher.org/media/inthenews/2009/07/22/index.html

[cynatnite]

87. Thanks for the article...these studies also had shortcomings which I found interesting...

•Guttmacher’s study asked about “typical plans” and might not account for the fact that some employers may purchase atypical plans, such as plans with high deductibles that would not cover a range of services, including abortion.
•The KFF study surveyed human resources staff, who might not know this level of detail about their coverage, and, in fact, it received a disproportionately high level of “don’t knows” (26%) in response to this specific question.
Bottom line
The actual answer is probably somewhere in between, meaning that most Americans with employer-based insurance currently have coverage for abortion.

Abortions paid for with private insurance
A 2003 Guttmacher Institute study found that 13% of all abortions in 2001 were directly billed by abortion providers to private insurance companies (see Table 3 on page 20 here). Some antiabortion activists have misused this statistic to claim that insurance coverage of abortion is not widespread. However, direct billing does not equate to either extent of coverage or even use of coverage.

•Our finding included all women who obtained abortions in 2001, including the numerous women on Medicaid or those who were uninsured. If one looked only at privately insured women—the group relevant to the question at hand—the number would (by definition) be substantially higher than 13%.
•The 13% does not include women who obtain reimbursement from their insurance company themselves, rather than having their provider bill the insurer directly—a common occurrence because many abortion providers are not a part of private insurance networks.
•Some of the women whom our study identified as paying out of pocket likely had insurance coverage for abortion care, but may not have known they had it or chose not to use it for reasons of confidentiality. Given the stigma that still surrounds abortion, these women might not have wanted their insurer or employer, or the primary policyholder (like a spouse or parent), to learn that they had obtained an abortion.

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This is a problematic area it seems. Staffers at these companies are unaware of what is covered, most women won't turn in claims, and the out-of-network physicians providing abortion services won't always be paid by the companies.

Good info and thanks for finding it!

[noamnety]

91. that is a problem area

women who are entitled to health care through their insurance but feel the need to pay out of pocket because of harassment and privacy.

Bills like the one passed tonight work to increase the hysteria from the antiabortion crowd, writing it into law basically that abortions are evil, not a regular part of women's health care.

[Vidar]

99. Unfortunately true. Good observation.