State-paid Abortions
a Matter of Fairness

By Senate President Beth Edmonds (D-Freeport) and Senator Karl Turner (R-Falmouth)

Portland Press Herald

Thursday, April 26, 2007

We believe that leaders in government must have the courage to take bold actions. We stand by those words today as we support of LD 1309, "An Act to Provide Equity in Funding for Women's Health Services."

This bill is a proposal to provide state funding for Medicaid-eligible women to seek abortion services.

Because MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid, doesn't cover the health care costs of a woman who chooses to end a pregnancy, Maine's poorest women are often denied access to safe abortions.

Other than continuing the pregnancy, this leaves a woman facing an unwanted pregnancy with few choices.

She can wait until she has saved enough money to pay for the abortion herself, putting her own safety at risk the longer she must wait, or she can seek cheaper, dangerous alternatives.

REASONS ARE MANY

There are infinite reasons, always complicated and never easy, why a woman might choose to end a pregnancy; for 34 years, that choice has appropriately been left to a woman and her doctor.

But that choice is made all the more difficult, and sometimes impossible, when a woman who would choose to end a pregnancy is powerless to do so because her state-funded health care doesn't pay for abortions.

Consider the plight of a low-income woman from Maine who might rely on MaineCare for her health care. In the course of routine pre-natal tests, she learns from her doctor that the fetus had a severe genetic disorder and was likely to be stillborn or die shortly after birth.

We can only imagine the sorrow such a person could feel. It would only add to her anguish to learn that, while MaineCare would cover her health care needs should she choose to continue the pregnancy, it would not cover the cost of an abortion.

It is the real possibility of cases such as this that convince us the current system in which Maine's most vulnerable women are denied access to abortions is unfair.

Because private health insurance providers usually cover abortion services, it is only Maine's poorest women who are not protected in these most difficult of situations.

We believe it is our duty to ensure that all Maine women have access to the health care options they need.

For 30 years, federal law has denied Medicare-eligible women money for abortions except in cases of rape, incest and life endangerment. There are no exceptions for health risks to the woman.

As legislators, we recognize it is our duty to protect Maine's citizens when the federal government does not.

Maine's constitution has always afforded greater privacy and equal protection than the federal Constitution, and this should be no exception.

JOIN OTHER STATES

Our peers in 17 states have already approved state funding for abortion services in all or most health circumstances, and an additional six states provide state funding in limited health circumstances.

Maine should be the next state to answer the call for fairness and equality.

Abortion is already a constitutionally protected right. LD 1309 is not about whether one supports or opposes abortion, rather, it is about ensuring equal protection for all Maine women.

That said, the issues at hand are intensely personal and emotions run deep. LD 1309 is not an easy bill for our colleagues and us to discuss, but it is time we all do.

It will be an act of courage to support this bill, as it often is when it comes time to take a stand for fairness and equity. We believe in bold and courageous actions.

Today, we ask the state of Maine to make a choice that is not only bold and courageous but also fair and just.

Please join us in supporting equal access to health services for all women.