Maine governor expands entry to abortion later in being pregnant

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine will quickly broaden abortion entry, becoming a member of a half dozen states that go away it to medical doctors and sufferers to make the choice with out restrictions on timing.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a invoice into legislation Wednesday that enables abortions at any time if deemed medically crucial by a health care provider, making the legislation one of many nation’s least restrictive. The earlier legislation banned abortions after a fetus turns into viable exterior the womb, at roughly 24 weeks, however allowed an exception if the affected person’s life is in danger.

“We should acknowledge the complexity of being pregnant,” Mills mentioned. “And like each different health care process, we’ve received to take authorities out of the decision-making course of and put the physician and the affected person in cost.”

The legislation goes into impact 90 days after the state Legislature’s work wraps up, as quickly as subsequent week.

Mills had mentioned throughout her reelection marketing campaign that the previous legislation did not have to be modified. However she reversed course after studying of a Maine veterinarian who wanted to journey to Colorado for an abortion after studying at week 32 of her being pregnant that her unborn son had a deadly situation that may not enable him to outlive.

The veterinarian, Dana Peirce, was current on the invoice signing, standing behind the governor alongside medical suppliers in white jackets, a number of lawmakers and the chief director of the Maine Council of Church buildings.

Passage of the invoice was thought of a foregone conclusion within the Legislature the place Democrats managed each chambers, and there have been sufficient co-sponsors to make sure passage.

However the invoice nonetheless generated emotional debate.

Critics mentioned the legislation’s language was broader than crucial if the objective was merely to permit abortions in cases of a deadly fetal anomaly later in a being pregnant. They mentioned it may result in a dramatic enhance in post-viability abortions, and that it places an excessive amount of religion in medical doctors to make a willpower.

Massive numbers of protesters weren’t within the State Home on Wednesday as they had been through the legislative debate. As a substitute, a lone demonstrator stood exterior the governor’s cupboard room holding an indication that referred to as the legislation a “demise sentence” for unborn infants.

Nationwide Proper to Life criticized the brand new legislation on Wednesday, with President Carol Tobias calling it “open season on the unborn youngster in Maine.”

Abortions later in being pregnant, referred to as termination for medical causes or TFMRs, are uncommon. Nationally, about 1% occur after 21 weeks, based on U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention tallies, which do not need full information from each state.

Nationally, many Republican-controlled states are doing simply the alternative from what Maine did by both banning or limiting abortions because the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned a affected person’s constitutional proper to an abortion, leaving it as much as particular person states to control the process.

Most Democratic-controlled states have taken steps to guard abortion entry, although none has gone so far as Maine because the Supreme Courtroom ruling final yr.

Beside Maine, six states go away the choice to get an abortion to medical doctors and their sufferers, with out restrictions. They’re Alaska, Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont, plus Washington, D.C.

On Wednesday, Peirce recounted her painful choice to have an abortion to spare additional ache for her unborn son, and he or she mentioned she’s happy that others going through the identical circumstances can have a option to have an abortion in Maine.

“I do wish to acknowledge that one other mom won’t make the selection that I did, however I might by no means search to take that call away from her,” Peirce mentioned.

The Rev. Jane Subject of the Maine Council of Church buildings mentioned that the group’s greater than 400 congregations assist the flexibleness of the brand new legislation somewhat than a one-size-fits-all method to abortion.

“We don’t consider that anybody ought to be compelled to stay pregnant by the federal government towards the recommendation of their very own physician,” Subject mentioned.

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Related Press author Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.