AUGUSTA, Maine — A bill proposed by a Democratic leader of the Maine Legislature to enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution failed to garner support from Republicans to advance on Monday.
All 13 Senate Republicans voted against L.D. 780, sponsored by Senate Democratic Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic. Twenty Democrats voted for the bill, while two were absent. The bill requires supermajority approval in the Senate, equating to 24 votes, and the House to advance to the November ballot.
Several states, including California, Vermont, Ohio, and Michigan, in recent months have added the right to an abortion to their respective constitutions following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that protected abortion at the federal level.
"Reproductive autonomy is a human right," Vitelli said in a recent statement about her bill. "Maine voters deserve the right to weigh in on this issue."
Republicans have opposed the plan; all GOP members of the Judiciary Committee voted against the bill in January.
"Abortion does not empower women, doing the right thing does," Republican state Rep. Scott Cyrway of Albion said in testimony against the bill in January. "Abortion is not healthcare. At least one person dies in an abortion and sometimes two. Abortion is not safe."
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and groups like Planned Parenthood Maine support the bill.
"It is troubling that certain politicians in our state continue to oppose protecting access to essential, legal medical care for Mainers — and prevent their constituents from speaking at the ballot box," Lisa Margulies, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Maine, said in a statement after Monday's vote. "Whether it’s the right to contraception, assisted reproductive technology like in vitro fertilization (IVF), full spectrum pregnancy care, or abortion, Mainers should not have to worry about those rights being revoked election to election."
Some religious groups like the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland oppose the bill.
"A proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion into the Maine constitution is immoral and unnecessary," said Suzanne Lafrenierean, director of the office of public policy for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, in testimony against the bill in January. "A change to the constitution to promote abortion on demand will affect unborn children who cannot speak for themselves but will suffer the ultimate price."