M.D. Harmon suggests that the country has shifted away from supporting a woman’s right to choose to end her pregnancy, and that, instead, the U.S. is trending toward anti-choice attitudes (“As Roe v. Wade anniversary nears, continent drifts away from pro-abortion cause,” Jan. 17).
This couldn’t be further from the truth. All around the country, we see evidence of an active and vibrant pro-choice movement.
In 2011, voters in Mississippi – a state with some of the harshest restrictions on abortion care – voted to reject a bill that would have granted legal rights to fertilized eggs. In 2013, people in New Mexico demonstrated the strength of their convictions by voting to reject a ballot measure that would have outlawed abortion after 20 weeks.
Also in 2013, 5,000 Texan supporters showed up to the statehouse to protest HB 2 – the same bill that inspired state Sen. Wendy Davis’ 11-hour filibuster.
These are not isolated incidents. In the past year, we have seen voters reject measures that would interfere with a woman’s ability to make her own decision about pregnancy and abortion across the nation.
Here in Maine, we’ve proven that we respect and cherish a woman’s right to make decisions about her health care. Last session, all three anti-choice bills introduced in the Legislature were defeated. Mainers have a long and strong tradition of understanding that a woman’s choice to continue or end a pregnancy should be left up to the woman, her family and her doctor.
Roe v. Wade is the law of the land. The landmark 1973 ruling affirms a fundamental principle of our democracy: protection against governmental intrusion into our “zone of privacy.” Across the nation, we are showing up and making it clear that the government has no business interfering with a woman’s decision about whether or not continuing a pregnancy is right for her.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
Nation & World
Senate committee to take up Biden judicial nominees in preview of potential Supreme Court fight
-
Health care
U.S. health panel reviews J&J vaccine pause over rare clots
-
Nation & World
Canada’s Supreme Court says U.S. Native American can hunt in Canada
-
Nation & World
FDA says N95 masks, now plentiful, should no longer be reused
-
Nation & World
One dead, 4 wounded in downtown San Diego shooting
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.