Last week, the Apex town council again discussed the issue of health insurance that offers town employees complete reproductive health care, including abortion. Town council member Bill Jensen asked that the issue be on the calendar so that he could ask more questions and so that the public could comment on the decision to remove coverage for abortion made last month by the town. During the conversation between Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly and Council Member Jensen, the Mayor stated that the decision to remove coverage was not a legal one. Of course not, since there is no law prohibiting or directly requiring local governments' to provide health insurance that covers abortion. He also stated that it was not about saving tax dollars, even though he couched the decision as once of fiscal responsibility to the council in January. Instead, he claimed that it is bad policy to include coverage for abortion in health insurance. Abortion is a safe and legal medical procedure. One in three women will have an abortion during her lifetime. 80% of private health insurance plans already cover abortions. So why is it bad policy to provide employees with basic health care coverage which includes abortion? It seems that almost everyone agrees, including the UNC School of Government and the League of Municipalities with the ACLU position that local governments have the discretion to offer whatever insurance they deem appropriate. Since complete reproductive health care is basic health care for women, let's hope this is a dash of water on a wildfire sweeping through local governments in N.C.