Maine legislators approved a budget on April 9 that is designed to protect family planning and reproductive healthcare, providing millions in annual funding for those services, according to a press release from Planned Parenthood. The budget is part of bill LD 335, sponsored by Rep. Amy Kuhn, which was left as unfinished business by the legislature. However, the bill has taken a new shape in the form of a budget amendment, which means that Maine is on track to become one of the first states to build an allowance for reproductive healthcare into the state budget. 

If enacted, the budget amendment would provide $5 million annually for reproductive healthcare, regardless of federal spending decisions. This comes after the release of the Trump Administration’s budget plan for the 2027 fiscal year, which includes defunding access to birth control and abortions across the nation. According to News Center Maine, taxpayers would likely fill the gap to fund the budget if federal spending were to be reallocated. 

Gianna DeJoy, a PhD candidate in anthropology and environmental policy at the University of Maine, provided written testimony for LD 335 before it became a budget amendment. She expanded on the purpose of the bill over email with the Maine Campus.

“My understanding is that LD 335 itself was reported out of committee but received no action from the full House or Senate, so it was left as unfinished business when the legislature adjourned last week. However, I believe an amendment based on that bill was included in the final supplemental budget,” wrote DeJoy. 

She added that, despite the bill’s lack of final action, its core provisions were incorporated into the supplemental budget.

“So, the budget includes safety net funding for Title X providers, establishes a fund to maintain access to statewide family planning services and pledges $5 million to that fund, which is exactly what LD 335 had aimed to do,” wrote DeJoy. 

She noted that adding the bill to the budget was the most logical route, considering the controversial nature of the bill. She explained that legislators are more likely to vote favorably on a budget plan than on a bill of this type. 

“It makes sense for the spirit of that bill to sort of find new life as a budget amendment since it was directing spending, and because it can be easier for some legislators to vote on controversial issues when they’re folded into a bigger budget package,” wrote DeJoy.

She also mentioned that the bill was publicly supported by various groups and professionals. 

“I just know there was an incredibly wide range of voices that came out in support of the bill when it came up before committee — including LGBTQ advocacy groups, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, professional associations for pediatricians, nurses, obstetricians and gynecologists, public health professionals,” wrote DeJoy. 

She added that if passed, the budget amendment is likely to benefit those who cannot afford reliable reproductive healthcare services.

“[The bill] just highlights how the services offered by Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood are critical to the health and wellbeing of many different populations,” wrote DeJoy. She added that a women’s health clinic “might be a lifeline for the community,” and particularly for people in “medically underserved” areas. 

DeJoy emphasized the need for Maine’s continued support for reproductive healthcare in light of a “hostile and unpredictable federal stance” toward funding such causes.

“This action reaffirms Maine’s position as a safe haven for reproductive rights,” wrote DeJoy.

BENNINGTON, NY (WNYT) – 49-year-old Janette MacAusland was arrested Friday in Bennington, VT; she is accused of killing her two children in Wellesley, MA.

Bennington Police said they got a call around 9:15 Friday night to conduct a welfare check about a woman that had arrived at a family home in Bennington appearing highly distraught. That woman was Janette MacAusland.

It was also reported to police that MacAusland had a visible neck injury and was actively bleeding.

Benington Police said as officers tried to talk to the woman she became increasingly concerned about the welfare of her children.

Bennington Police then requested that Wellesley Police perform a welfare check on the children at the home in Wellesley, MA.

Around 9:50 p.m. Friday night, Wellesley Police called Benington Police and told them that MacAusland’s two children were found dead inside her home.

Woman accused of killing two children arrested in Bennington

Bennington Police then took MacAusland into custody as a fugitive from justice. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts charged Janette MacAusland with two counts of murder for the death of her children.

MacAusland is now being held at the Marble Valley Correctional Facility without bail, where she awaits to be transferred to Massachusetts to answer to the murder charges.

MacAusland is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Rutland Superior Court.