Abstract

On 27 September 2002, the Bush administration issued final rules allowing states to define a fetus as a child eligible for government‐subsidized health care under the Children's Health Insurance Program. CHIP does not cover any illegal immigrants and only covers legal immigrants who have been in the country for five years. Babies born in the United States, however, are citizens and therefore eligible for assistance. The response from women's groups and pro‐choice advocates was swift and unanimously negative.