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Maine abortion providers reckon with post-Roe reproductive health landscape

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Maine abortion providers reckon with post-Roe reproductive health landscape

Jul 06, 2022 | 8:47 am ET
By Evan Popp
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Maine abortion providers reckon with post-Roe reproductive health landscape

Following the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Maine abortion providers say that while the procedure remains legal in the state, they are now operating within a much different political landscape than prior to the ruling. 

The decision, which was previewed by a leak in May, sent shockwaves through the reproductive health movement as people in Maine and around the country reckoned with the reversal of nearly 50 years of federal abortion rights by a radically conservative court. 

“It was a horrible decision from the Supreme Court,” said Mareisa Weil, community engagement coordinator at Maine Family Planning. “It’s really going to harm and is harming people in the country.”

Maine abortion providers make plans in response to court decision

While reproductive health rights were codified into law in Maine in 1993, Gov. Janet Mills took them a step further on Tuesday, issuing an executive order to safeguard access to reproductive health care and protect providers who deliver abortion care in Maine.

Among other measures, the order prohibits state agencies from cooperating with another state’s investigation into a person, organization, or health care provider delivering abortion care in Maine and says that Mills will decline extradition attempts from other states pursuing criminal charges against a person for receiving or performing abortion services.

The move was applauded by Nicole Clegg, vice president of public affairs at the political advocacy group Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, as an important first step “to ensuring respectful, supported and safe access to abortion in Maine.”

However, advocates stressed that abortion protections in the state could be undone if anti-choice politicians are elected to office. 

During the 2021 legislative session, Maine Republican lawmakers introduced an “unprecedented” number of anti-abortion bills. Democratic majorities in the State House and the certainty of a veto by Gov. Janet Mills, a supporter of abortion, prevented those bills from moving forward. However, if the GOP takes control of the state legislature after November’s election, it’s likely such measures would be put forward again, particularly if Republican gubernatorial nominee Paul LePage — an abortion opponent — is elected.

“I personally am very apprehensive about the upcoming election because people are very upset about many things and they may take that upsetness to the ballot and not necessarily understand the rights that may be in jeopardy, particularly reproductive rights depending on the candidates that they vote for,” Weil said. 

Along with mobilizing to protect reproductive rights in the upcoming election, Weil said abortion providers in Maine are coordinating to ensure that people in the state — and visitors from other places — can access reproductive health services in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Maine has three abortion providers: Maine Family Planning, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and the Mabel Wadsworth Center in Bangor. 

Weil said there may be a greater number of people traveling to Maine for reproductive health care, particularly from states where abortion bans have been put in place. Many of those people will likely come to Portland, she said, which could make it more difficult for people in southern Maine to access immediate abortion care. 

However, Maine Family Planning is well-equipped to help ease the potential backlog in the Portland area, Weil said, because of investments the organization has made in telehealth abortion services. She said patients who qualify can have a five minute virtual appointment with a health professional and subsequently receive abortion pills in the mail. 

“So Maine Family Planning can provide abortion care for patients who qualify without [them] ever setting foot in a clinic,” she said. 

Clegg, who also works for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said the organization has also focused on building up its abortion services in recent months as the court considered whether to strike down Roe. She said that has included upping the hours of its health centers in Topsham, Sanford and Biddeford to five days a week and expanding the availability of abortion care in the second trimester in anticipation of the need for such services for people coming from other states. Clegg said that Planned Parenthood also offers telehealth medication abortion services.

Clegg said the organization has already fielded calls from people in other states asking about obtaining abortion care in Maine. 

“We have done our best to anticipate [the needs],” she said.

Maine abortion providers reckon with post-Roe reproductive health landscape
A sign at a recent rally in Bangor protesting the Supreme Court decision | A.R. Clark

In addition to abortion services, however, Clegg said the decision to overturn Roe has already had additional ripple effects, such as heightened demand for other forms of reproductive health care like IUDs, emergency contraception and vasectomies as people seek to avoid unexpected pregnancies.  

Moving forward, Clegg said even with the latest executive action, there is more that could be done to solidify reproductive health protections in the state. Clegg said advocacy groups have explored the idea of a campaign to add abortion rights to the state’s constitution but need two-thirds support in the legislature to pursue that strategy. 

Aspen Ruhlin, community engagement coordinator for the Mabel Wadsworth Center, added that improving on-the-ground access to abortion care in Maine is crucial following the Roe decision. While allowing MaineCare to cover abortion costs has helped — an action Mills and the legislature took in 2019 — Ruhlin said the current setup in Maine does not provide easy access to reproductive health care for everyone who needs it. Significant barriers that still need to be addressed include distance and cost of travel to a clinic, having a place to stay, and child care (since many people who seek abortion care already have kids), Ruhlin said.

In recognition of that reality, Ruhlin said the Mabel Wadsworth Center is working with the other abortion providers in Maine to try to make access easier. However, following the Supreme Court’s decision, Ruhlin said the center is also taking other immediate actions, such as tightening up security at its clinics in anticipation of anti-abortion activists being emboldened by the ruling.  

Ruhlin added that the center is also continuing its efforts to reduce the stigma around abortion, even by those who are generally supportive of reproductive rights. As part of that effort, the organization held a teach-in July 2 with Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights on how people can be better abortion advocates.  

“We are all socialized into a society that is anti-abortion, so even people who support abortion access will often hold stigmatizing views that they may not realize are stigmatizing and harmful,” Ruhlin said. “No one is perfect; we all have room to grow.” 

 What you can do to help 

The three abortion providers in the state said there are many tangible ways supporters of reproductive health care can help during this fraught moment. 

Weil said she is advocating for more people to become experts on abortion. She said the procedure is often misunderstood. For instance, she said abortion care to protect the life of the mother when there is a pregnancy complication is often not highlighted when discussing the issue. 

“The more informed people are about abortion and what is possible and available in their communities, the better advocates they can be when people need help,” Weil said.

Weil said Maine Family Planning and other groups are also in the process of compiling a list of people who have expressed interest in providing services such as driving people to abortion appointments or letting people from out of state stay at their house. Considering the vulnerability of the person getting an abortion and the heated political nature of the issue, Weil said there is a rigorous process for vetting such people.  

A simpler — yet extremely important — way for people to also help is by donating to abortion funds and abortion providers, Weil added.  

Clegg from Planned Parenthood Action Fund said another action Mainers can take is getting involved in November’s election and asking every candidate running for office what their position is on abortion rights. 

Above all, Ruhlin said people should take their lead from abortion providers and funds that know best how to ensure access to reproductive health care. 

“What I really urge people to do, instead of that very American instinct to be a hero and do a big thing, [is to] really look into what the resources are that exist and what role I can play in actually being supportive,” Ruhlin said.

Along with abortion providers and individual activists, local political groups are also taking action in the wake of the decision. One such organization is Maine Democratic Socialists of America, which held a rally in Portland to urge “free abortion on demand without apology” following the Supreme Court’s ruling.  

Rose DuBois, a member of the steering committee of Maine DSA, said the organization is also launching a campaign to educate the public about so-called crisis pregnancy centers, which DuBois said are “fake clinics where they sort of pretend to be abortion clinics and then when you show up they essentially try to convince you not to get an abortion.”

Typically run by anti-abortion groups, these types of clinics exist around the U.S. A national map put together with support from abortion access groups shows around 20 such centers in Maine, including two in Portland.  

Online reviews for one of those clinics in Portland — called ABBA — include a number of statements saying the company misleads patients and does not actually offer abortion services. A response to one such review from the owner of the group admits that the organization does not offer abortion care. However, the availability of such services is implied by a statement on ABBA’s website that says, “You have three options when it comes to your unplanned pregnancy: abortion, adoption, and parenting. We provide education on all your options so you can make an empowered choice for yourself and your future.” 

DuBois said Maine DSA will be holding an event at 11 a.m. on July 10 in Deering Oaks Park to help educate people about crisis pregnancy centers. 

“What we’re trying to do is figure out ways to raise awareness around those and figure out ways so people aren’t tricked by them as much,” DuBois said. 

Top photo: A rally in Portland protesting the Supreme Court’s recent decision ending the federal right to an abortion | Photo by Tanja Hollander via Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund