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Aislinn Canarr is a master of social work student at the University of Maine and board president of the Mabel Wadsworth Center. LaRae LaBouff serves on the board and advocacy committee for the Mabel Wadsworth Center.
Abortion access is under threat in this country. Already 90 abortion restrictions have been enacted by states making it the worst legislative year ever for abortion rights. The Texas law SB8 banning abortion after six weeks and allowing private citizens to sue providers and anyone aiding those seeking an abortion after this time is certainly the most extreme.
When the Supreme Court refused to grant an injunction, the majority of the justices let what appears to be an unconstitutional law go into effect. The U.S. Justice Department has sued the state of Texas over the law. However, until the case goes through the court process, Texans seeking an abortion must travel hundreds of miles to a neighboring state and incur the expense of travel, lodging and the procedure.
This involves taking time off work, and potentially finding childcare for other children. It is estimated that almost 60 percent of people who get abortions are already parents. Economic barriers such as these can put getting an abortion out of reach for those who need them. Barriers to abortion overwhelmingly affect those who are poor, rural, Black, Indigenous and other people of color. Those with economic means have always been able to travel to get the abortion care they need.
The ability to access abortion care should not be dependent upon a person’s economic means or their residence. Federal legislation in the form of the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act and the Women’s Health Protection Act would protect and expand access.
The EACH Act repeals the Hyde Amendment and allows federal healthcare dollars to cover abortion care. WHPA eliminates state level barriers that provide no medical benefit such as viability bans seen in Texas and the upcoming Mississippi case being heard by the Supreme Court, waiting periods, unwarranted clinic regulations or state mandated and misleading counseling. Both pieces of legislation are crucial in helping to ensure access by easing the financial burden and eliminating unnecessary restrictions to care.
WHPA is currently moving through Congress. It passed in the House on Sept. 24 with a vote of 218-211. While Rep. Jared Golden did not join Rep. Chellie Pingree as a co-sponsor this session as he had in the past, he did vote in favor of protecting abortion access.
The legislation goes to the Senate where it is expected to fail. With the filibuster in place, 60 votes are needed. The vote is expected to be decided upon party lines, while the one Independent, Maine’s Angus King is a co-sponsor.
Sen. Susan Collins has stated that she will not support this bill to protect abortion access because it would weaken current protections for providers who refuse to perform abortion on religious or moral grounds. However, these claims are misplaced.
Current federal provisions such as the Weldon Amendment, the Church Amendments and the Coats-Snowe Amendment allow certain health care entities to deny abortion care based on the providers’ or institutions’ personal and religious beliefs. The Womens’ Health Protection Act does nothing to alter these provisions. The legislation does not compel providers to perform abortions, it simply allows providers to provide abortions to those who seek them free from medically unnecessary restrictions that single out abortions or impeded access.
The Supreme Court reconvenes on Oct. 4 with another restrictive abortion law on its docket. Hundreds of marches and rallies are being planned across the country on Oct. 2 led by the national organization the Women’s March along with 90 other organizations. Several are planned in Maine. In Bangor, the Mabel Wadsworth Center is leading its own event to highlight the need for abortion access across the country and to encourage the passage of WHPA in the Senate.
While Maine currently does not impose any legal barriers on abortion, each legislative session advocates spend many resources fighting anti-abortion legislation. Federal protections in the form of WHPA would allow limited resources to be used in caring for patients and communities.