Maine House Passes Bill Expanding Abortion Access

The House voted 73-69 as protestors and counterprotesters gathered outside the Statehouse, rallying in support and against the bill, Fox News reports.

In Maine, the current state law bans abortions after a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, which is about 24 weeks. The only exception is if a mother’s life is at risk. The new bill, however, will allow later abortions if a doctor decides it is medically necessary.

Pro-life supporters have said the bill would give too much power to doctors.

Rep. Katrina J. Smith, R-Palmero, who became the mother of a healthy daughter after being told her baby wouldn’t live, said there could be unwanted consequences of putting “blind trust in doctors.”

Rep. Tracy Quint, R-Hodgdon, spoke about the bill on the House floor this week, saying the bill was “so extreme that the very thought of it being enacted crushes my soul.”

Bishop Robert Deeley of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland called the bill “immoral.”

However, supporters of the bill say the proposal would allow women to make the decision later in pregnancy if possible deadly anomalies are discovered in the fetuses.

“How do we legislate the unimaginable?” Sen. Jill Dusan, D-Portland, said Tuesday on the Senate floor. “We do so by making sure that those who face the unimaginable have the freedom they need to make the decision that is right for them.”

Previously, Gov. Janet Mills said she approved of the current abortion law. She has since proposed expanding abortion access after hearing about a woman who traveled to Colorado for an abortion at 32 weeks when she was told the baby would not survive.

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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.