‘Maine doesn’t have to be a state where fundamental reproductive rights hang in the balance’: Groups urge lawmakers to let Mainers vote on constitutional amendment protecting reproductive autonomy 

(Portland, MAINE) – As the legislature’s judiciary committee prepares to hold a work session on the bill that would explicitly enshrine the right to reproductive autonomy in the state’s constitution, two dozen organizations and associations have signed on to a letter urging lawmakers to pass the measure on to voters. 

Since the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal protections for abortion in June 2022, “state and federal lawmakers across the country opposed to people having access to affordable, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care have increased their attempts to enact policy that stigmatizes, harms and infringes on the reproductive rights of Americans,” the letter reads. “These harmful policies are proven to disproportionately impact already marginalized people and communities, including BIPOC and people in rural areas, and clinicians continue to show how these policies negatively impact health care outcomes.” 

Earlier this month, hundreds of Mainers testified in support of LD 780, a “Resolution, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine to Protect Personal Reproductive Autonomy,” sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli (D-Sagadahoc). 

In Maine, a supermajority of lawmakers in both legislative chambers must vote to pass a proposed constitutional amendment before it is put to voters in the next general election. 

“Maine doesn’t have to be a state where fundamental reproductive rights hang in the balance every election cycle,” the letter continues. “Maine can continue to lead and shine as an example of a state that values autonomy, freedom and individual liberties. Mainers deserve to know their rights are explicitly protected in our state constitution.” 

In every opportunity to weigh in on the ballot box since Dobbs, voters across the country have affirmed their support for protecting reproductive liberties. In California, Michigan, Ohio and Vermont voters approved measures to enshrine reproductive rights in their constitutions, and voters in Kansas, Kentucky and Montana rejected attempts to take away reproductive liberties.  

Sign on letter signatories:  

ACLU of Maine 

American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter 

Consumers for Affordable Health Care 

Equality Maine 

GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) 

Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights (GRR!) 

Mabel Wadsworth Center 

Maine Council of Churches 

Maine Equal Justice 

Maine Family Planning  

Maine Medical Association 

Maine Nurse Practitioner Association 

Maine Osteopathic Association 

Maine People's Alliance 

Maine Prisoner Advocacy Coalition 

Maine Section Advisory Council, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists  

Maine Service Employees Association – SEIU Local 1989 

Maine Women's Lobby 

Maine Youth Power 

Mainers for Working Families 

MaineTransNet 

National Association of Social Workers, Maine Chapter 

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England 

Safe Abortions for Everyone (SAFE) Maine 

To read the letter in full, click here. 

 

Statement from Lisa Margulies, Esq., Vice President of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund 

“The organizations and associations who have signed on to this letter understand what’s at stake when it comes to the fundamental right to reproductive autonomy. And the people these groups represent and advocate for — patients, providers, youth, people of faith, people advocating for historically marginalized communities, people whose voices are so often silenced by political forces that control the levers of power — deserve to have their voices heard.  

The people of Maine value freedom and democracy, and they value the right to reproductive autonomy. The only question here is whether our elected leaders value their constituents enough to let them vote on one of the most important issues of our time.” 

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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.