A majority of lawmakers in Maine House, Senate cosponsor Governor Mills’ priority bill to expand abortion access 

(Portland, MAINE) – Twenty Maine state senators and 76 state Representatives have cosponsored proposed legislation that would protect and expand abortion access in Maine.  

An Act to Amend Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Law, championed by Governor Janet Mills, Senate President Troy Jackson and Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross would remove Maine’s ban on abortion later in pregnancy, remove criminal penalties in the state’s current law, and modernize the state’s abortion data collection requirements. The bill’s printing comes days after a federal judge in Texas issued a ruling could make the most common protocol for medication abortion in the United States unlawful, and could cause the most harm in rural states, including Maine. 

A majority of lawmakers in both the Maine House and Senate have signed on as cosponsors, signaling broad and proactive support of protecting abortion access and reproductive rights and freedoms in the first full legislative session since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal protections for abortion in June 2022.  

In January, Mills, Jackson and Talbot Ross announced key priority legislation including An Act to Amend Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Law. The priority bills aim to strengthen protections for patients and providers in Maine and ensure every Mainer, regardless of income or zip code, can access essential sexual and reproductive healthcare.  

Patient advocates and local and national reproductive health and rights organizations lauded today’s announcement: 

Nicole Clegg, Acting CEO, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England: 

“We applaud Governor Mills, President Jackson, Speaker Talbot Ross and the 20 state senators and 76 state representatives acting in the best interests of Mainers today. 

Certain politicians want to force people to remain pregnant against the advice of their doctor, and Mainers deserve to be able to get medical care from a provider they trust in their home state. This bill will help make sure every person who needs abortion care in Maine can get the care they need, when they need it. It will also repeal criminal penalties attached to Maine’s abortion laws because no medical professional should face the threat of jail when providing health care to their patients.  

Maine lawmakers have an opportunity with An Act to Improve Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Law to set an example for state legislatures across the country, to lead with evidence-based policy and to trust medical providers and their patients to make private medical decisions. As we have seen over the past year, people opposed to abortion have shown their true colors. They will not stop until they have banned access to legal abortion across the country, including here in Maine. I applaud our state leaders for taking steps to safeguard our rights and protect people seeking medical care and those who provide it.”  

Dana Peirce, Yarmouth, Maine patient advocate 

“We learned during the 32nd week of a seemingly healthy pregnancy that the baby I was carrying, Cameron, had a rare and lethal form of skeletal dysplasia. He had multiple broken bones, and if he survived until delivery, he would not have been able to breathe outside of me.  

In this moment of shock and grief, my doctors here in Maine could not help us, because current state law bans abortions later in pregnancy. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to have the social and financial resources--the abortion alone cost $25,000--to travel across the country for abortion care, to end our son's suffering. So many Mainers do not have those same resources.  

I can't change what happened to us, but I will continue to tell our story and hope that Maine lawmakers will hear me, realize the power they have in this moment, and act.” 

Zoe Reich, Brooklyn, New York patient advocate 

"My road to motherhood was unexpectedly political. What began as a planned and healthy first pregnancy took a devastating turn when severe fetal anomalies were detected during a routine scan. Because I was past 24 weeks in New York, where I was at the time, my doctors could not provide abortion care I, and they, understood I needed.  

I was at the most vulnerable moment of my life; my husband and I had just been given life shattering news by doctors we trusted. And my doctors were forced to tell us “we’re sorry, but we can’t help you," because of a cruel and arbitrary timeline set by politicians, not doctors. I had to fly to Colorado and spend more than $10,000 to have an abortion. I went on to have a healthy pregnancy and become a mother 1 year later. I 

 share this with you, not because it’s easy, but because it’s imperative to understand that we — patients who need abortions later in pregnancy — are your family, your friends, your neighbors. We are people you know and love. Maine lawmakers have an opportunity to ensure no Mainer has to suffer through what my family went through just to get the care they need. I urge our elected leaders to pass this bill." 

Meagan Sway, Policy Director, ACLU of Maine 
“This legislation will reinforce Maine’s position as a leader in protecting abortion access by repealing outdated and anti-science laws criminalizing this essential healthcare. Across the country, too many states are banning abortion and threatening prosecution against patients and providers. All people in Maine should be able to make the best healthcare decisions for themselves without legal threats or judgment, including the ability to access abortion care.” 

Regina Rooney, Education & Communications Director, Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence  

"Abortion is a critical safety planning tool for survivors of domestic abuse. Efforts to expand access, remove barriers and enhance privacy help keep survivors and all patients safe." 

Abbie Strout-Bentes, Director of Community Engagement, Mabel Wadsworth Center 

“The bill introduced by Governor Mills, Senate President Jackson, and House Leader Talbot Ross will make critical changes to our Reproductive Privacy Act that will move Maine closer to a future where everyone can access the healthcare they need in their community by providers they trust. And where abortion care is regulated like any other safe, legal medical procedure. Abortion is safe, common, and essential. It is beyond time for us to treat it that way. We are grateful for our state’s leadership and commitment to reproductive freedom for all of us.” 

Elayne Richard, GRR! Education Coordinator 

"GRR!'s activists lived through the pre-Roe days of criminalizing abortion. We who survived are fighting to ensure no one is criminalized for any pregnancy outcome and everyone can receive abortion care--in their communities, when they need it, without barriers or stigma. These needed changes to the Reproductive Privacy Act bring us closer to a Maine where all of us can decide our own futures."   

Jane Field, Executive Director, Maine Council of Churches
"Like the majority of Christians across the United States, the Maine Council of Churches believes abortion should be safe and legal. We affirm the ability of pregnant people to make good moral choices and believe the decision to end a pregnancy can be such a choice. Abortion is a complex health care and moral issue requiring nuanced medical, ethical and spiritual discernment in each unique situation, without interference from the government.   

Our state currently requires families in the midst of unimaginable pain and crisis to travel out of state for abortion care late in pregnancy because our current laws fall short.   

This bill will provide Mainers and their medical providers the freedom and the privacy to make these decisions safely here at home and it will help ensure medical providers in Maine can offer the care their patients need when they need it throughout a pregnancy." 

George Hill, President & CEO, Maine Family Planning 

“Abortion is essential, common, reproductive health care, and this bill is grounded in that truth. Maine Family Planning looks forward to working with the Governor and legislative leaders on getting these important updates to the Reproductive Privacy Act passed this session.” 

Destie Hohman Sprague, Maine Women's Lobby 
"Thirty years ago, Maine's Reproductive Privacy Act helped set the standard for our rights. But it's time to update the RPA to ensure that it keeps pace with our knowledge and experiences. It's time to protect and support patients who need abortion care later in pregnancy here in Maine."    

Kelly Blanchard, President, Ibis Reproductive Health 

“Everyone deserves access to high-quality abortion care throughout pregnancy without stigma or barriers. Reasons for seeking abortion care later in pregnancy may include difficulties accessing abortion services or raising money for the procedure, serious health problems, fetal indications, delays in finding out about the pregnancy, or needing time to decide what to do about the pregnancy. Ibis research has shown how seeking care later in pregnancy can lead to increased financial burdens and necessitate travel, which further delay people in getting needed care. An Act to Improve Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Act will help Mainers get the abortion services they need and ensure local providers are able to care for them.” 

Erika Christensen, Co-Director of Patient Forward 
“Maine's current abortion law has failed people like Dana, who have been denied care, and it has failed the providers who had to turn her away. Our bodies do not follow legal timelines. There is no point in pregnancy when the state should override the medical judgment of a health professional or a patient's autonomy. This bill is a critical step forward to ensuring abortion seekers can get care as early as possible and as late as necessary.”   

Dr. Jamila Perritt, Ob/Gyn, President & CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health, Washington, D.C. 
"At a time when abortion care is under attack, it is heartening to see Governor Mill's leadership in showing up for Mainers who need abortion later in pregnancy. For a number of reasons, it is not always possible for people to access abortion care as soon as they would like to. Many things can stand in their way, and given the political climate bent on eliminating access to comprehensive care, these challenges have become insurmountable for many communities. No matter who they are or what they're experiencing, people seeking abortion care deserve the highest quality medical treatment based on their individual needs and health circumstances. Medical standards, not politicians, should guide abortion care." 

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Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in Maine. PPNNE has four health centers in Maine and sees more than 12,000 patients a year.