Nevada is joining the list of states using Medicaid to pay for more abortions

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada is primed to become the 18th state to use Medicaid funds to increase access to abortion for lower-income women.

The change is a result of a court ruling that became official this week after the state government declined to appeal it within 30 days of the release of a written opinion in the case that found denying coverage violated the equal right protections adopted by the state's voters in 2022. Nevada officials have not said when the coverage will begin, but the judge said it should be no later than early November.

“Nevadans who have Medicaid as their health insurance will no longer need to fear that they will be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will,” Rebecca Chan, a lawyer with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, which sued in the case, said in a statement.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and ended the nationwide right to abortion, the issue has been a legal and political battleground. Most Republican-controlled states have implemented bans or restrictions, including 14 that now bar abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions, and four more that generally prohibit it after about the first six weeks of pregnancy. Most Democratic-led states have taken steps to protect access.