Maine House to Vote TODAY on Anti-Choice Bills

AUGUSTA - The Maine House is expected to vote today on three dangerous anti-choice bills that could jeopardize the ability of women to get the care they need. All three bills received a majority “ought not to pass” vote in the Judiciary Committee, and are opposed by medical and mental health organizations, women’s rights groups, privacy advocates and many others.

LD 760 would interfere with a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, by scripting what doctors say to a woman seeking an abortion. Maine law already requires informed consent for every medical procedure.

LD 1339 would repeal Maine’s successful adult involvement law and instead require strict parental consent before a minor could have an abortion. The bill would force minors to go to court or report their parents for abuse in order to bypass the strict parental consent mandate.

LD 1193 seeks to establish a fetus as a legal entity separate and distinct from the woman who carries it for the purpose of recovering damages in civil actions.  It seeks to convey legal status to a fetus, granting the fetus the legal rights to “heirs and an estate” and the right to sue under Maine’s probate code.

The following quotes can be attributed to members of the Maine Choice Coalition:

“These bills should not be supported as they infringe on women’s personal rights to choose, invade the privacy of expectant women, and invoke unnecessary steps that do nothing to further the healthcare of women or improve the system that is now in place.” – Bets Brown, Public Policy Chair, American Association of University Women of Maine

“The legislature should uphold current law and reject these three bad bills, all of which are aimed at undermining abortion rights. The government has no business intruding on a woman’s most personal health decisions.” – Jill Barkley, Public Policy Advocate, ACLU of Maine

"LD 760 and LD 1339 purport to 'fix' laws in Maine regarding abortion care. But current Maine law works and the proposed bills would only serve to limit women's ability to make personal decisions about their pregnancies, their health and their lives." George A. Hill, President, Family Planning Association of Maine

“We Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights each have experienced either personally or through the lives of those close to us difficulties and or threats to our health because of limited or non-existent access to quality reproductive health care in the past. As citizens of Maine we believe that Maine women should not have to repeat these difficulties in their lives.” – Judy Kahrl, Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights

“Maine already has effective laws that work well. We should trust Maine women. These decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor - not a woman, her doctor and the Maine Legislature." - Eliza Townsend, Executive Director, Maine Women’s Lobby

“The decision about whether to choose adoption, end a pregnancy, or raise a child must be left to a woman, her family, and her faith, with the counsel of her doctor or health care provider. Women don’t turn to politicians for advice about mammograms, prenatal care, or cancer treatments.  Politicians should not be involved in a woman’s personal medical decisions about her pregnancy. We urge legislators to reject these bills.” – Eric Covey, Grassroots Organizer, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England