Maryland
Is ‘abortion’ actually on the November ballot in Maryland? – WTOP News
Question 1 on the ballot in Maryland aims to protect abortion in the state, but opponents say the word’s absence could cause trouble.
This article was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Maryland voters will have the chance to weigh in this fall on Question 1, a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to enshrine “reproductive freedom,” a change supporters say will protect access to abortion, among other procedures.
But anti-abortion advocates say there’s a problem: The word “abortion” does not show up in the proposed amendment language.
That’s true. The word “abortion” will not appear on ballots this election cycle, even though the constitutional amendment is billed by advocates to protect one’s right to an abortion.
Opponents call that a legal loophole “you can drive a Mack Truck … through,” and have put forth any number of far-reaching possible scenarios the amendment could allow.
Supporters say opponents are just “making stuff up” to confuse voters on an issue that has overwhelming support — a recent poll said 69% of those surveyed plan to vote for Question 1, compared to 21% who will vote no. Even though the word abortion is not on ballot, they said, there’s no way the amendment can be interpreted otherwise.
Secretary of State Susan Lee certified the official ballot language in June. It states, in part, that “the proposed amendment confirms an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue or end the individual’s pregnancy.”
On July 16, Secretary of State Susan Lee certified ballot language for the Right to Reproductive Freedom referendum: “The proposed amendment confirms an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue or end the individual’s pregnancy, and provides the State may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means.”
Voters will choose between “For the Constitutional Amendment,” “Against the Constitutional Amendment,” or leave the question blank.
Erin Bradley, chair of Freedom in Reproduction-Maryland (FIRM), said supporters would have preferred the term “abortion” be used in the ballot language, but it’s not a large issue for them.
“National polling experts have shared with me that when the word ‘abortion’ is in the language, it performs better,” she said. “So, we would have liked to have said, ‘You can prevent a pregnancy through birth control, you can end a pregnancy through abortion,’ but it doesn’t.”
Bradley said the ballot measure, if successful, would still protect the right to an abortion even though it “doesn’t say it outright.”
“The ballot language speaks to the person having the right to make and effectuate their own decisions about preventing a pregnancy — so that covers birth control. About maintaining their pregnancy unfettered — so staying pregnant as they would like and starting a life as they would like. Or to end a pregnancy — which covers abortion,” Bradley said.
Anti-abortion advocates counter that the ballot measure is not limited to just abortions but “paves the way for all kinds of” other medical procedures, according to Jeffrey Trimbath, president of the Maryland Family Institute.
Mail-in voting has already started and almost 70% of Marylanders in a recent poll said they are broadly in support of “adding an individual’s right to reproductive freedom to the Maryland state constitution.” That leaves Trimbath and other opponents with a steep climb to convince a majority of Marylanders to vote against Question 1.
They have latched onto the fact that “abortion” doesn’t appear in the amendment language “because, fundamentally, it’s not about abortion.”
“It’s about undermining parental rights,” he said.
Trimbath and other anti-abortion organizations, like Maryland Right to Life and Health Not Harm MD, say the ballot measure does not explicitly exclude minors, and would overstep a parent’s ability to “influence the health care decision of their kids, and that includes abortion,” he said.
He also argues that the bill language would include gender-affirming care by “being able to take away reproductive function.”
“And that certainly is in the transgender space, where you have hormones and surgeries that do these things,” Trimbath said. “The fact that the word ‘abortion’ doesn’t appear tells us it’s not primarily about that subject, it’s about undermining parental rights.”
He said that as written, the ballot initiative isn’t clear on “what it includes or doesn’t include.”
“‘Including but not limited to …’ My goodness, you can drive a Mack Truck, legally speaking, through that phrase,” Trimbath said. “So we think that this just paves the way for all kinds of things.
“We don’t know what it includes or doesn’t include,” he said. “And you can try to guess, but I would take the amendment at its word — at its expansive ordinance.”
Katie Curran O’Malley, retired Baltimore City District Court judge and current executive director of the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, agrees that the ballot language is broad, but says it is “not vague at all.”
“People get hung up on that sentence that says it confirms an individual’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom ‘including but not limited to,’” she said. “And then they just start making stuff up and saying that means there’s maybe gender-affirming care.
“Not using the word ‘abortion’ is intended to reflect the broad sort of reproductive health services that people need to have protected, that are being attacked now,” O’Malley said. “I would argue that this language is not vague at all — it is broad though. It has to capture those large number of reproductive services that people want to have.”
She noted that while transgender individuals may still need access to abortion and other services, gender-affirming care is separate from reproductive health care.
“It says clearly in the amendment — decisions to prevent, continue or end an individual’s pregnancy … all of those reproductive health services which are completely different from gender-affirming care,” she said.
Bradley with FIRM said the ballot initiative does not cover gender-affirming care or override current state law about minors receiving medical care without parental consent.
“What this does not do: it does not change anything in existing law or statute about parental notification, who can and cannot give or provide an abortion, it doesn’t change any of the medical standards or any of the practices related to the provision of health care,” she said. “Only that no one can interfere with your right to have that health care.”
But Trimbath counters a change to the Maryland Constitution would trump state statute.
“Since it … will amend our state’s constitution, by definition, it will be the supreme law of the land. It will supersede every other state statute having to do for health care with minors,” he said.
Sharon Blugis, founder and legislative director of Reproductive Justice Maryland, says opponents are clutching at straws, and she is not surprised they are looping parental rights concerns and transgender issues in to their arguments against the amendment.
“This is their MO — it’s what they do. It’s the same stuff over and over and over and over. Doesn’t have to be true for them to do it,” she said. “There is not one iota or anything that would allow a child to have any kind of sex operation.”
“It’s outrageous, but it works. It won’t hit in this state as much as it will in Ohio, Missouri or Florida,” she said. “But it gets people all worked up if they’ve never actually read the bill … or the ballot language.”
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Many have sent in their own photos and videos wondering why we haven’t shared any visuals of the “waterfall” at Burnt Mills Local Park in Silver Spring. While we have provided information in the past, today we’ll take a closer look at the Burnt Mills Dam– visible from a busy stretch of Colesville Rd.
Located along the winding course of the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River, the Burnt Mills Dam stands as a silent witness to the region’s evolving relationship with water. More than a physical structure, the dam and its surroundings weave together a narrative of industrial progress, natural beauty, and recreational delight.
The name “Burnt Mills” originates from a grain mill that once stood at the site. This mill burned down before 1788, and despite being rebuilt, it eventually ceased operations in the early 1900s– yet its name endured.
In the early 20th century, recognizing the need for a reliable water supply for a growing population, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) selected the site for a state-of-the-art water filtration plant. In 1929, the Burnt Mills Dam was constructed with a distinctive hollow deck Amberson-style design, accompanied by the Robert B. Morse Filtration Plant, which provided clean drinking water for decades.
As newer, larger water treatment plants were built along the Patuxent and Potomac Rivers, the Burnt Mills facility was decommissioned in 1962. Although the machinery and pipes were removed, the dam and its two historic pump houses remained as quiet reminders of the past.
Between 1996 and 2000, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) acquired the dam and pump houses to safeguard their historical significance. Today, the Burnt Mills Dam is officially recognized as a historic site.
The surrounding area has transformed into the Burnt Mills East and West Special Parks, maintained by Montgomery Parks as tranquil green spaces away from the city’s hustle and bustle. The dam-created Burnt Mills Reservoir offers a scenic setting for a variety of outdoor activities. Visitors enjoy exploring the Northwest Branch Trail, part of the larger Rachel Carson Greenway, where walking, biking, and horseback riding are popular pastimes. Even President Theodore Roosevelt once marveled at the river’s captivating rocks and rushing water.
Fishermen are drawn to the reservoir as well, where the gentle cascade over the dam provides a peaceful backdrop while they try to catch sunfish, bass, and bluegill. The Burnt Mills Dam illustrates how a site can evolve over time– from a place for a mill to a crucial component of public health infrastructure, and now to a cherished destination for nature enthusiasts and history buffs in Silver Spring.
Information courtesy of neighborsnwb.org, www.servpro.org, mncppcapps.org, Montgomeryparks.org
As has been the case for Maryland baseball many times this season, the Terps spent their final game of the season facing a late deficit — multiple times.
And yet, unlike many games through the long spring season for Maryland, the Terps came back. Multiple times.
In a game filled with momentum swings, Maryland put up a dramatic late rally to defeat Rutgers, 13-11, Saturday afternoon at Bob “Turtle” Smith Stadium.
After Rutgers failed to convert with a runner in scoring position in the first inning, Maryland used the bottom half of the frame to get its offense going once again. Chris Hacopian launched a solo homer to right-center field, giving the Terps a 1-0 lead. Eddie Hacopian added a single and two stolen bases but was ultimately stranded at third.
Rutgers stormed back in the top of the second inning, capitalizing on a string of hits, walks and a costly wild pitch. RBIs from Matt Chatelle, J.T. Thompson, and R.J. Johnson Jr. helped the Scarlet Knights post four runs and put the Terps in an early hole.
While Maryland’s players could have easily flashed back to the other games of the series — which left the Terps on the outside of the playoffs looking in — they quickly responded to the early deficit. Elijah Lambros blasted a three-run homer to left-center field, scoring Aden Hill and Jacob Orr to tie the game.
Both bullpens tightened up in the middle innings. Maryland grounded into a double play in the third inning before its batters were retired in order in both the fourth and fifth innings. Rutgers managed just one hit of its own during that span.
In the sixth inning, the Terps found a breakthrough. Rutgers threatened in the top half with a double by Chatelle, but Logan Koester shut the door by forcing back-to-back outs. With the game still hanging in the balance, Alex Calarco hit his 19th homer of the year to give Maryland the lead.
Once again, though, Maryland was pegged back. Peyton Bonds launched a three-run moon shot in the top of the seventh inning to give the Scarlet Knights a 7-5 lead. But the Terps still responded. Chris Hacopian sliced a single through the left side to score Lambros. Eddie Hacopian followed with a three-run home run of his own, allowing Maryland to reclaim the lead.
Trailing 9-7 entering the eighth inning, Rutgers roared back. With two outs and a runner on first, Ty Doucette blasted a two-run homer to right-center field, tying the game at 9-9. Moments later, Bonds doubled to right field, driving in Trevor Cohen, who had reached on a single and stolen second. The Scarlet Knights had their first advantage since the second inning, and Maryland needed a response.
The Terps wasted no time flipping the script in a wild bottom half. Hill started the rally with a single, and Maryland loaded the bases after a walk and another single. Chris Hacopian stepped up to the plate — but the first pitch he saw smoked him, pushing a runner into home.
That wasn’t the end of Maryland’s scoring for the inning, even though it was the end of its hitting. Three more Maryland batters were walked. After an explosive inning of plate discipline and patience, Maryland suddenly held a 13-10 advantage.
Facing its final three outs, Rutgers showed a flicker of life. Yomar Carreras launched a solo home run to right field, cutting the deficit to 13-11. But Maryland reliever Andrew Koshy held firm, forcing two flyouts and a groundout to end the game, and Maryland’s season, with a victory.
Three things to know
1. End of the road. Maryland entered Sunday’s game knowing it would not be able to make the postseason. A dramatic victory will surely put a smile on the faces of some Maryland fans, but the Terps’ attention now turns to the long offseason ahead.
2. Clutch non-hitting. Maryland’s lineup came up big in the eighth inning, driving in key runs during the comeback rally. Eddie Hacopian, Orr and Paul Jones II all walked while taking just one swing at the 14 combined pitches they faced.
3. Series struggles continue. While Maryland pulled off an electric comeback win, the Terps only managed two wins in a weekend series throughout the season. If the Terps wish to stop their two-year postseason drought, they will have to figure out how to string together victories next season.
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