UPDATE, 6/27/23: The Maine Senate on Tuesday joined the House in passing a bill to expand abortion in the state in a 21 to 13 vote. While Gov. Janet Mills, who introduced the bill, claims it is not extreme, the bill allows abortion up to birth for any reason.
Mills erroneously and discriminatorily believes abortion is necessary in the third trimester for children who receive certain diagnoses. However, the bill leaves room for an abortionist to determine what is a “necessary” abortion.
“It basically allows for the abortion of a baby in the third trimester for any reason whatsoever, with no guardrails except for a physician has to sign off that it’s necessary. Necessary for what purpose? They never really explain,” said Senator Eric Brakey.
Rep. Lois Reckitt argued, “That’s not true. I mean, what doctor are you ever going to find that would do that? Standards of care in the medical profession would never allow that to happen I want to trust the medical profession, and the women whose lives are at stake in this discussion, to do the right thing.”
However, when Keisha Atkins, who died as a result of an abortion, went to Southwestern Women’s Options for that abortion at 24 weeks, abortionist Shannon Carr (who is advocating for Maine’s extreme abortion bill) noted on paperwork that the abortion was “necessary” in order to prevent “substantial and irreversible harm to her physical health, her mental health, her family health, her safety and well being.” Carr had only spoken to Atkins for 20 minutes, and while questioned under oath regarding Atkins’ death, Carr said that this assessment was simply “speculation of parenting at a young age as a single mom.”
When asked how the pregnancy would have caused irreversible harm to Atkins’ mental health, Carr replied, “Financially not stable; depression; anxiety. That would be speculation as to any forward effects on her mental health.”
The bill must pass a second round of votes in the House and the Senate before going to Mills to be signed into law.
6/27/23: Lawmakers in the Maine House narrowly passed a bill last Thursday to expand abortion access in the state, voting 74-72 to allow abortion up to birth so long as it is deemed “necessary” by a medical provider. And of course, that “medical provider” could be the abortionist committing the procedure.
LD 1619, introduced by Gov. Janet Mills, expands current state law, which allows abortions after 24 weeks only if the mother’s life is at risk. Abortion supporters, including Mills, say that the bill is necessary if a mother finds out late in pregnancy that her child has a potential life-limiting diagnosis. However, there is never a reason to deliberately kill a child, even if that child is not projected to live past birth. Instead of being dismembered or poisoned in her mother’s womb, the child can receive medical care and attention, so that her last moments may be comfortable.
Joe and Ann Baker, who faced this very situation when their preborn daughter, Ember, was diagnosed with anencephaly, told Live Action News that they wanted to do everything in their power to celebrate Ember’s life. They embarked on “The Ember Tour,” visiting places throughout the country so that Ember could experience them with her family from her mother’s womb. Ember passed shortly after birth, but her short life left a lasting impact on those around her.
“The beautiful part of the story is, when you carry a child like this, the overwhelming support and encouragement,” Joe said. “I compare that to someone who would choose to abort one of these children — it becomes their secret. It’s like they miss out on all of the experiences of getting to know their daughter like the way we have, and they miss out on all of that unbelievable support that would come their way. And I think about that, and it helps me realize that I wish the world could see that. I’d like to represent what could be, and what we could do, if we saw it differently.”
Many pro-lifers spoke out against the bill. Maine Public Radio reports that hundreds of pro-life advocates showed up at a hearing in May, while others have been flooding the State House for weeks to advocate against its passage.
“It would allow painful abortions right up until birth without any medical reason. This is not a compassionate bill. If it were, I would vote for it,” said Rep. Amy Arata.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass. Should the bill become law, it would rank Maine among the most permissive abortion states in the nation.
