Protecting Access to Abortion and Contraception

Maine law currently protects abortion access and we're fighting to keep it that way.

The rights to privacy and bodily autonomy are at the core of abortion access. Throughout the country, our bodies have become battlegrounds on these fronts. Privacy and bodily autonomy connect several issues, from abortion and contraception to gender-affirming care and marriage equality. These are all linked by a simple belief: You are the rightful author of your own life story. These rights and freedoms allow us to determine our own paths and thrive on our terms.

More than forty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that secured the right to abortion. In June 2022, the court overturned Roe with its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This effectively eliminated the federal right to abortion and allowed states to enact extreme bans.

Abortion remains legal in Maine, but our state is vulnerable to the everchanging winds of politics in the absence of federal protections. Dobbs has emboldened Maine’s anti-abortion politicians to push legislation that would strip people of their right to make personal reproductive health decisions, but we're working alongside our partners to defeat this legislation and protect abortion access.

Several bills before the Maine State Legislature seek to strengthen reproductive freedoms while others would take those liberties away. Open the menus below to see which bills we are following in 2025, our testimony to lawmakers, and track these bills through the legislative process.

Status

Active

Session

The First Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature

Bill number

Support: LDs 163, 143, 538 | Oppose: LDs 253, 682, 886, 887, 1007, 1154

1. Bills to Protect, Expand Abortion and Contraception Access

A.Bills to Protect, Expand Abortion and Contraception Access

These bills would improve Maine people's access to reproductive health care by increasing access and strengthening privacy protections.

Increasing Access to Contraception: LD 163, An Act to Require Health Insurance Coverage for Federally Approved Nonprescription Oral Hormonal Contraceptives and Nonprescription Emergency Contraceptives

Health insurers in Maine are required to cover prescription birth control. LD 163 would expand this to include over-the-counter birth control that is safe, effective, and approved by the FDA.

Read our testimony Track LD 163

Increasing Access to Family Planning Services: LD 143, An Act to Improve Women's Health and Economic Security by Funding Family Planning Services

One in five women are not using their preferred method of contraception, and 25 percent say it is because they cannot afford it, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The most significant predictor of whether a woman was able to get long-acting reversible contraception was whether her family made at least $75,000 per year. Funding for family planning services has remained stagnant for the past decade, reducing access and limiting some clinics to open only one day per week. LD 143 will help Maine's people make the best family planning decisions for themselves and live on their own terms.

Read our testimony TRACK LD 143

Strengthening Privacy for Reproductive Health Care: LD 538, An Act to Amend Maine's Prescription Drug Labeling Law by Allowing the Removal of the Name of a Prescriber of Mifepristone, Misoprostol and Their Generic Alternatives

Anti-abortion politicians have proven that they will not stop at their own state lines in their efforts to ban abortion and punish people who seek legal care elsewhere. LD 538 would protect Maine health care providers by allowing them to request that their name be removed from the packaging for medication abortion drugs. This would help protect Maine providers from out-of-state lawsuits for conduct that is lawful in Maine.

Read our testimony TRACK LD 538

2. Bills to Restrict or Ban Abortion

A.Bills to Restrict or Ban Abortion

These bills would restrict access to reproductive health care by making abortion a crime, banning medication abortion, cutting funding, and more.

Banning Abortion and Criminalizing Patients Health Care Providers: LD 975, An Act to Repeal Laws Allowing Abortion and to Criminalize Abortion

LD 975 is a "fetal personhood" bill, seeking to establish a fetus as a separate and distinct person from the person who carries it. By considering a fetus a person, abortion would be illegal and punishable under the Maine Criminal Code in relation to murder, assault, domestic violence assault, and other offenses against the person.

TRACK LD 975

Blocking Funds for People Seeking Care: LD 253, An Act to Prevent the MaineCare Program from Covering Abortion Services

This bill would prevent low-income patients from making the best decisions for themselves by banning MaineCare from covering abortion services. Whether a pregnant patient who qualifies for MaineCare decides to seek abortion care or give birth, that person will need medical care and it will be covered by MaineCare. If MaineCare is blocked from covering an abortion, low-income patients will no longer have a choice; they will be forced to give birth. A person's wealth should never determine what rights they have to make decisions about their own bodies.

TRACK LD 253

Forcing Providers to Lie and Restricting Access to Medication Abortion: LD 886, An Act to Regulate Medication Abortions

LD 886 would restrict access to medication abortion and force doctors to lie to patients about so-called "abortion reversals." Bills like this seek to erode trust between patients and their providers by forcing doctors to lie to patients and share misinformation. The state should not dictate private conversations between health care providers and their patients, and patients should be able to trust that the information from their medical providers is based on science, not politics.

“Reversal” laws are opposed by leading medical organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), the Society of Family Planning, and the American College for Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

TRACK LD 886

Restricting Abortion Access and Creating New Criminal Penalties: LD 682, An Act to Amend Certain Laws Regarding Abortions

LD 682 includes three key provisions:

Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to report sensitive information about people seeking abortions
Restricts the time periods in which a person can receive abortion care
Creates new criminal penalties for health care providers

Criminal abortion laws give prosecutors license to investigate, arrest, and prosecute people who provide necessary health care. In some instances, bans and laws can be used or misused to target patients and other people who help them get the care they need.

TRACK LD 682

Restricting Access to Medication Abortion and Creating New Felony Penalties: LD 887, An Act to Make Manufacturers Responsible for Proper Disposal of Abortion Drugs and Require a Health Care Provider to Be Physically Present During a Chemical Abortion

LD 887 would remove telehealth as an option for health care providers to meet with patients about medication abortion care. It would require multiple physical contacts between patients and providers, and would create a new felony crime for providers who attempt telehealth. Telehealth is a safe and effective method for people to meet with their providers, but LD 887 would make it more difficult for patients to access care. This would disproportionately affect people who cannot take time off work, live in rural areas far from health care centers, and have other children who may require a babysitter while they go to appointments.

TRACK LD 887

Forcing Doctors to Lie About Abortion Reversal: LD 1007, An Act to Update the State's Informed Consent Laws Regarding Drug-induced Abortion

Similar to LD 886, this bill would force health care providers to spread misinformation that blatantly contradicts the facts. The bill would require doctors to tell patients about so-called "abortion reversal," the debunked idea that you can undo an abortion after the fact. This interferes with the freedom of patients and providers to speak honestly with each other. It also seeks to erode trust in the patient-provider relationship.

TRACK LD 1007

Forced Waiting Periods Before Abortion for Pregnancies with Lethal Fetal Anomalies: LD 1154, An Act to Require That Informed Consent for Abortion Include Information on Perinatal Hospice

This bill would make it more difficult for people with non-viable pregnancies to seek abortion care. It would require health care providers to inform patients of perinatal hospice options at least 24 hours before receiving an abortion. It would also require patients to "certify" that they have decided to seek abortion care and declined perinatal hospice, stigmatizing their personal health decisions. Further, LD 1154 defies the best practices outlined by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Instead, it would inject political interference into people's complex, unique, and private health care decisions.

All pregnancies are different and they can be complicated. Patients must be able to work freely with their health care providers to make the best decisions for themselves.

TRACK LD 1154