Maine Mothers and Grandmothers Speak Out Against Bill that Makes It Harder for Young Women to Get the Care They Need

Augusta – A group of mothers and grandmothers from around the state were in Augusta today to push back against three bills aimed at limiting abortion rights, including a bill that would repeal Maine’s successful law governing adult involvement in abortion decisions.

Maine law already requires adult involvement in a teenager’s decision to have an abortion. LD 1339 would remove some of the options available to young women who are not able to involve a parent in that decision.

“No young person is making this decision alone, but some young people don’t have supportive parents. For those young people, this bill is really dangerous,” said Rep. Sheryl Briggs of Mexico. “If a young person can’t go to a parent, she should be able to consult with someone like a grandparent or an aunt. If she can’t go to anyone in her family, she should be able to go to a trusted adult like a counselor.”

“More than anything, I want my three daughters and all other young women to be safe, and that means not placing barriers between them and their doctors when they need medical care,” said Susan Peck of Carrabassett Valley. “For that reason, I am asking the legislature to stand firm, and oppose LD 1339.”

LD 1339 is one of three bills this session seeking to roll back abortion rights in Maine.  LD 760 would force doctors to tell women unnecessary, coercive information before they could obtain an abortion. LD 1193 seeks to convey legal status to a fetus, including granting the fetus legal rights to “heirs and an estate.”

“These three bills are examples of efforts to take us back to the days when women did not have control over their choices for their own reproductive health,” said Jay McCreight of Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights. “We want our daughters, granddaughters, all women to continue to have access to safe reproductive health care.  We urge defeat of these three bills.  They are not in the best interests of Maine people.”

The women were joined by the Maine Choice Coalition, a group of organizations committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose whether to have an abortion.