One pregnant woman opted for an abortion three weeks ago because she felt she couldn’t afford to pay for prenatal care, said Dr. John Jackson of Memorial Hospital in Schuyler.
A second patient is seriously considering terminating her pregnancy, although he is trying to talk her out of it, Jackson said….
… Jackson spoke Wednesday, shortly after a bill was killed in the NE Legislature that would have restored government-funded, prenatal care for low-income pregnant women, including many who are illegal immigrants.
… Advocates for the measure said they… also expect more reports of premature births, birth defects and stays in neonatal intensive care — which they say will result in taxpayer expenses that could have been headed off by providing less-expensive preventive care….
… Jackson… said he is telling his pregnant patients that the hospital won’t turn them away because of lack of money.
“I never became a doctor to become rich,” he said. “It’s important that we protect people at their most vulnerable.”
~Omaha World Herald, March 18