Michigan's "Rape Insurance Law" is unethical

Under the rules, I may not include rebuttals in this round. I interpret this to mean that I may not respond to Pro's argument, and therefore I am neither rudely ignoring him nor dropping points. I will reply to his comments in the next round. When a law is unethicalA law can be unethical if it contradicts a higher law or principle - for example, constitutional law, or universal moral values within a society. It might also be unethical if the procedures by which it was adopted were unethical - for instance if, in a democratic society the law was passed without a majority in parliament. As far as I know, there were no irregularities in the way the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act was adopted, and so this latter condition does not apply to the current debate. Therefore, to win this debate Pro needs to show how the Act opposes some higher law or principle. Americans are strongly divided about abortionSome people think abortion is fine, and other people think it's murder. Opinion is strong and divided. Americans are split almost evenly pro-choice and pro-life. Most Americans think abortion should be illegal in some circumstances (72%), and 20% think it should always be illegal. [1]It's no surprise, then, that most Americans (61%) object to their taxes being spent on elective abortions, or even that half (51%) think that private insurance shouldn't cover elective abortions either. [2] The purpose of the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out ActThe purpose of the Act is to ensure that people are not forced to fund abortions through their health insurance premiums. Further, that policy holders are not unwittingly enabling their dependents to have abortions. Dependents now means children up to the age of 26. [3]People who are opposed to abortion are not able to prevent other people from having abortions, but it does seem fair that they shouldn't be forced to fund them. Similar legislationMichigan's Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act exists in the context of similar legislation elsewhere. The Hyde Amendment prohibits public funds being used to pay for abortions except in limited cases. [4] At least 17 states have legislation that restricts abortion coverage in their insurance exchanges [5]This means that the Opt-Out Act is consistent with wider legal trends in America. For Pro to prove that it is unethical, therefore, he needs to show that this background of public opinion and legislation that supports the Act is also unethical. Otherwise, he needs to show that the Opt-Out Act somehow deviates from these broader trends. RapeLess than 1% of abortions are because of rape [6]. Women who are raped or otherwise have unprotected sex can take the morning after pill, which costs between $30 and $60 [7]. First trimester abortions usually cost between $400 and $500. [8]It's interesting that the focus of opposition to the Opt-Out Act has been on rape when abortions from rape are so rare. This debate is not about whether or not these abortions should occur, but about who should fund them. To me it doesn't seem obvious that private health funds should be more responsible for rape abortions than, say, a victim compensation fund. What the Act doesn't doThe Opt-Out Act doesn't affect women's rights to have an abortion, nor does it affect their access to abortions. It only has the potential to affect who pays for those abortions in a minority of cases. In 2012, there were over 20,000 abortions in Michigan, of which only 3.3% were paid for through insurance. [9]The Act does not prohibit insurance companies from including abortions, but only that they must be contained within a separate rider that is purchased separately. That way, the choice to include abortions in the policy is deliberate rather than inadvertant. The Opt-Out Act was only passed last week, and it will not take affect until March next year. This gives insurance companies time to structure these riders. However, given that so few women have abortions under private insurance anyway, there may be little interest in them. [1] . http://www.gallup.com...[2] . http://edition.cnn.com... [3] . http://www.dol.gov...[4] . http://en.wikipedia.org...[5] . http://www.ncsl.org...[6] . http://www.guttmacher.org... [7] . http://www.drugs.com...[8] . http://www.guttmacher.org...[9] . http://www.mdch.state.mi.us...