KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri women are experiencing a “healthcare crisis.”

That’s what Jackson County Executive Frank White said on Tuesday, as he proposes funding Missouri women who need to travel to seek abortions in extreme cases. White’s plan isn’t popular with everyone. Some are calling this move an election year act of desperation.

“We feel like it’s time we let people know who we are on this issue,” White said.

The plan begins with money. White hopes to use $1 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to help cover travel expenses for Jackson County women who need to go outside the state in search of legal abortions, which became illegal in Missouri when Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June.

“We want to be in that window where we can help people who need transportation to another state with the housing, lodging and food, childcare,” White told reporters.

The county executive specifies these federal dollars would be used in extreme cases of rape, incest and various forms of sexual assault. White is seeking re-election to his post.

His primary opponent, current Jackson County Legislator Theresa Cass Galvin, is quoted as saying this is merely a move meant to sway the vote in White’s favor.

“Men, like me, shouldn’t be telling women what to do with their bodies. They should have the freedom to choose what they want to do,” White said.

Opponents to White’s proposal also include Kathy Edwards, CEO at Resource Health in Kansas City. Edwards is strongly pro-life, and she’s counseled many young women considering abortions at her non-profit. Edwards is opposed to using tax dollars to fund travel for this purpose, saying its a decision a woman lives with for the rest of her life.

“We’ve worked for years and years and years in our state to protect the lives of our mothers and their children and give them the resources they need. The whole state has worked hard to do that,” Edwards said. “I would be surprised if a bill like that even passed.”

White said he’s not confident the current Jackson County Legislature would pass this plan. That’s why he intends to wait and re-introduce it when a new set of legislators take hold. That said, the soonest this could take effect is January or February of the coming year, if it meets approval, and White wins next Tuesday’s election.