Bangor/Portland – Reproductive rights advocates in Maine will join activists around the country calling for an end to the Hyde Amendment today, Friday, September 30 at 11:30 a.m. ET. The Hyde Amendment withholds insurance coverage for abortion from women who qualify for Medicaid, as well as other women who access health insurance through the federal government.
As part of the nationwide day of action, representatives of several groups that advocate for abortion rights will host mobile “photobooths” in Bangor’s West Market Square and Portland’s Monument Square, inviting supporters to take photos and share them to social media to support the call to end the Hyde Amendment.
The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976, bans the use of federal funds to cover abortion. That means women who qualify for Medicaid, who are by definition low-income, do not have coverage for abortion care. They are forced to pay for abortion and related costs out-of-pocket, often by forgoing other necessary expenses, or to carry the pregnancy to term.
While states may use their own funds to pay for abortion care, Maine does not. The ACLU of Maine brought a lawsuit last year, on behalf of Mabel Wadsworth Women's Health Center, Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, challenging the exclusion of abortion care from MaineCare coverage.
WHAT
Day of action and mobile photobooth to end the Hyde Amendment ban on abortion coverage
WHEN
TODAY, Friday, September 30
11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
WHERE
Bangor: West Market Square
Portland: Monument Square
WHO
ACLU of Maine
Mabel Wadsworth Women’s Health Center
Maine Family Planning
Planned Parenthood of Northern England
