Republican lawmaker says Lewiston shooting was due to God’s wrath over abortion law

During a Maine House debate Wednesday night, Republican Rep. Michael Lemelin of Chelsea implied that the Legislature’s enactment of a bill last year to protect access to abortion later in pregnancy caused the Oct. 25 mass shooting in Lewiston by invoking God’s wrath.

The comments drew swift condemnation from members of both parties.

Lemelin rose on the House floor Wednesday to discuss LD 227, a proposal designed to protect Maine health professionals who provide reproductive and gender-affirming care from being targeted by other states’ bans or restrictions on such treatments. A vehement opponent of the legislation, Lemelin compared the bill to a measure Maine lawmakers passed last year, LD 1619, which expanded access to abortion later in pregnancy.  

In his remarks, Lemelin insinuated that God punished Maine for enacting LD 1619. He said there have been five consequences of approving the measure, and implied that the severe storms that have ripped through Maine in the past several months represent four of those consequences. 

Lemelin then noted that the new abortion law went into effect on Oct. 25 of last year. 

“When 1619 passed and went into law on October 25, you told God life doesn’t matter,” he said. 

“Keep in mind that the law came into effect on October 25. God heard you and the horrible events on October 25 happened,” Lemelin continued. 

Lemelin was referring to the mass shooting in Lewiston on Oct. 25 that killed 18 people and wounded 13 others. The shooting has rocked Maine, devastating families and communities and shaking the state’s collective sense of safety.

The Republican from Chelsea also said that if lawmakers pass LD 227 — which the House ultimately did Wednesday night — there will be “severe consequences.”

Following Lemelin’s speech, Rep. Shelley Rudnicki (R-Fairfield) rose to “say that I agree with Rep. Lemelin and everything he said.”  

Lemelin and Rudnicki’s comments were ultimately ruled out of order by House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), who said they “violate the decorum of this chamber.” 

Following Lemelin’s remarks, multiple members of the House condemned his comments. 

“The remarks delivered tonight on the House floor by Rep. Lemelin and affirmed by Rep. Rudnicki insinuating that the Legislature somehow caused the October tragedy in Lewiston are as asinine as they are reprehensible,” said Assistant House Majority Leader Kristen Cloutier, a Democrat who represents Lewiston, in a statement. 

“We are dismayed by this stunning lack of respect, deeply troubling absence of empathy and infuriating disregard for the victims, their families and everyone in our community whose hearts remain shattered by this horrific act of senseless violence,” Cloutier added. “I know that I speak for the entire Lewiston House delegation in saying that these sentiments have absolutely no place in this chamber or in our public discourse and should be universally condemned by anyone who has even an ounce of basic human decency.” 

Two members of Lemelin’s own party also condemned the comments, although they didn’t mention the Chelsea Republican by name. 

“The statements made today — I will not speak to the character or the motives — but those statements were reprehensible and ones that I do not support and I do not get behind,” said Rep. Rachel Henderson, a Republican from Rumford. “My God is a God of love.” 

“Although it’s not my place, I apologize to every member that was here and heard that and took offense,” Henderson added. “I’m proud of where I stand, I’m proud of my positions that I take, but tonight, I am not proud to be a Republican. I’m not proud to have an ‘R’ in front of my name. It was reprehensible.”

Rep. Nathan Carlow, a Republican from Buxton, rose to commend Henderson’s speech and said he completely agrees with her remarks.