Maine
What’s behind Maine’s big abortion spike after a long national decline
The variety of abortions carried out in Maine rose by 16 p.c in 2020 in contrast with three years earlier, doubling the nationwide common and reflecting modifications led by Gov. Janet Mills that elevated entry to the process.
The research from the pro-abortion rights Guttmacher Institute launched Wednesday discovered Maine had the most important percentage-wise enhance in abortions in New England throughout that point interval. It was seventh amongst states, although Maine nonetheless had a decrease abortion charge than the remainder of the nation at 10.1 per 1,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 44.
That enhance is broadly attributed to Mills’ expansions of Maine’s abortion legal guidelines which have lengthy been among the many strongest within the nation. They included a 2019 legislation that mandated abortion protection in private and non-private well being plans, which Nicole Clegg, senior vice chairman of Deliberate Parenthood of Northern New England, was probably the most important issue.
“Individuals with low earnings now have extra autonomy to make selections for themselves,” she stated.
That could be a reference to the Democratic governor’s transfer to broaden protection below MaineCare. The state additionally handed a legislation that yr that allowed sure well being professionals moreover medical doctors to carry out abortions in an effort to expanded entry to extra rural areas of the state.
All the modifications have been opposed by anti-abortion teams together with the evangelical Christian Civic League of Maine. Mike McClellan, its coverage director, agreed that the extra liberal abortion insurance policies drove the rise that he stated his group was disenchanted in.
“We might do a greater job on our aspect of supporting girls higher and presenting the choices,” he stated, referring to adoption and foster care.
The U.S. general noticed an increase in abortions forward of the pandemic, one thing the Guttmacher Institute stated foretold the significance of holding entry to the process secure and authorized after a draft choice leaked in Might confirmed a U.S. Supreme Courtroom set to overturn federal abortion rights enshrined within the landmark Roe v. Wade choice.
Doing so would imply over half the states can be more likely to ban or severely curtail abortion or achieve this instantly. In Maine, Republicans have stated they’d probably attempt to repeal latest expansions of abortion legal guidelines earlier than instituting sweeping bans in the event that they wrest management of Augusta in a 2022 election pitting Mills towards former Gov. Paul LePage, an anti-abortion Republican.
Sharp will increase in abortions throughout the nation weren’t restricted to Democrat-controlled states like Maine. Mississippi, whose legislation banning almost all abortions after 15 weeks is the topic of the case that would overturn Roe, noticed a 40 p.c soar between 2017 and 2020.
Among the many elements each nationally and in Maine may be financial stress in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, because the majority of people that get abortions nationally are poor or low earnings.
“Individuals needed to ask themselves in the event that they needed to begin a household when their earnings was much less safe, their jobs might need been much less safe, their relationships have been much less safe,” Clegg stated.
BDN author Michael Shepherd contributed to this report.