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WASHINGTON (September 27, 2002) -- The General Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops hailed the final rule issued today by the Secretary of Health and Human Services that unborn children are eligible for health coverage. The rule recognizes the unborn child as a "child" within the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
The final rule "should be welcomed by all who care about the health of pregnant women and their children," said Msgr. William Fay.
Noting that the Bishops' Conference had urged the Administration to ensure that the unborn children of immigrant women also be eligible for coverage, Msgr. Fay said: "We are delighted to see that the recommendation is reflected in the final rule. States taking advantage of this new option are to provide health care to mother and child irrespective of the mother's immigrant status."
This is the text of the comment by Msgr. Fay on the final rule:
The final rule issued by HHS Tommy Thompson today, recognizing the unborn child as a "child" within the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) should be welcomed by all who care about the health of pregnant women and their children. As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said in May, in public comments on this proposal:
"The Proposed Rule serves an important goal, that of expanding access to quality prenatal care for children at their earliest and most vulnerable stages of development and to their mothers. It serves this goal by acknowledging that the child's need for good nutrition and health care begins when the child first comes into existence, at conception. This is simply to recognize a biological fact that is already widely acknowledged in science, law and medicine. There is no conflict here between the interest of mother and child, but a complete convergence of interests: the Regulation will equally serve unborn children and their mothers, in the most immediate and straightforward way possible." (For full text see www.usccb.org/ogc/schip.shtml)
In our comments we also urged the Administration to make it clear that the unborn children of immigrant women will be eligible for coverage. We are delighted to see that the recommendation is reflected in the final rule. States taking advantage of this new option are to provide health care to mother and child irrespective of the mother's immigrant status.
The Administration should be praised for this initiative in support of life-affirming health care for women and children.