The number of abortions performed over a three-year period in Maine increased by twice the national average, according to a report released this week.

The Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights research group, said in a report published Wednesday that the number of abortions performed in the United States increased by 8 percent from 2017 through 2020, reversing a 30-year downward trend.

The number of abortions in Maine increased 16 percent during that period, which is twice the national rate and eight times the increase in the Northeast. The group said the national increase is likely attributable to state-level policies that increased access, including expansion of Medicaid to cover abortion care, something that was done here under Gov. Janet Mills in 2019. That policy change has increased access for low-income women, advocates said.

The report speculates that changes made by former President Donald Trump to the Title X family planning network reduced access to free- to low-cost contraceptives, which may have resulted in more unintended pregnancies and increased demand for abortions.

The new data come as the U.S. Supreme Court appears to be poised to strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that gave women the constitutional right to an abortion. A leaked draft opinion from the court indicates that a majority of justices want to leave it to states to decide whether abortion should be legal or not, and about half of the states are expected to restrict or ban abortion if the ruling allows it.

Maine is one of several states that has enshrined abortion access into state law, which means abortion will remain legal here unless a future governor or Legislature enacts restrictions. Maine enshrined the right in state law in 1993, when the lawmakers passed a bill sponsored by Republican Gov. John McKernan. That law allows abortions before viability – which generally occurs around 22 or 24 weeks – or when a mother’s life or health is in danger.

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As governor, Mills has signed several laws expanding access to abortions, including expanding the types of medical professionals permitted to conduct abortions. She also signed bills requiring private insurers to cover abortions and expanded MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, in 2019 to cover abortion related services.

Mills has forcefully and repeatedly said that she will continue to fight for a women’s right to an abortion. Her leading opponent, former Republican Gov. Paul LePage, has spoken out against abortion in the past but has not said whether he would seek restrictions if elected.

MAINE’S ABORTION RATE LOW

Mills’ spokeswoman, Lindsay Crete, noted that while the number and rate of abortion is growing at twice the national average, Maine’s  abortion rate – 10.1 per 1,000 women between the ages of 15-44 – is the second lowest in the Northeast and remains below the national rate of 14.4.

“Fundamentally, the governor believes that reproductive health decisions should be made by a woman in consultation with her health provider – not by the government,” Crete said in an email. “With the support of the Legislature, her administration has fought to enable women to exercise that power by reducing barriers that prevent them from accessing reproductive health care. Her administration will continue to support women as they make the reproductive and maternal health decisions that are best for them.”

LePage campaign strategist Brent Littlefield did not respond to a request to interview the former two-term governor. Littlefield also did not respond to questions about whether LePage would propose or sign any bills to restrict abortion access, or cut off state funding for abortion care enacted under Mills.

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Littlefield referred a reporter to a statement LePage issued in response to the leaked court ruling in which he said, “as governor I have a proven history of supporting life.”

“As the child of a severely dysfunctional family, with domestic abuse that left me homeless, I know my mother faced difficult decisions and I am glad she chose life,” LePage said in a written statement May 3. “The federal government has regularly prohibited taxpayer abortion funding, except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother’s life is in danger; and I have supported that policy and would continue to do so. Maine state law already prohibits abortion after viability and our laws should keep pace with modern, medical technology.”

According to the Guttmacher institute, 930,160 abortions were performed in the U.S. in 2020 – up 8 percent from 2017, when 862,320 abortions were performed.

In Maine, abortions increased to 2,370 in 2020 from 2,040 in 2017, while abortions in the Northeast increased 2 percent, from 224,300 to 228,100.

The institute noted that much of Maine’s increase occurred between 2019 and 2020, after a new state law took effect and increased access.

“In January 2020, Maine allowed the use of state Medicaid funds to pay for abortion care and required private health insurance plans to cover abortion, and these are likely factors behind the increase,” the report states.

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Mills signed that law on June 13, 2019. The bill expanded MaineCare to include services that are not covered by the federal Medicaid program. Since it’s illegal to use federal funding to pay for abortions, the bill requires the state to cover the costs of “abortion services that are not federally approved.”

Nicole Clegg, senior vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and the Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund, agrees with the report’s findings that Medicaid expansion is leading to more abortions, particularly among low-income women who couldn’t previously afford it.

LOW-INCOME WOMEN AFFECTED

“There’s actually been a lot of data that people with low incomes had a hard time accessing abortions until Medicaid provided coverage,” Clegg said. “One in four women eligible for MaineCare had to continue a pregnancy because they couldn’t find the funds for an abortion.”

That’s in line with the national trend, according to the institute.

“The majority of people who obtain an abortion are poor or low income, and this coverage meant that many who would not otherwise have been able to afford an abortion could get care,” the report states.

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Mike McClellan, policy director for the Christian Civic League, which opposes abortion access, said he was disappointed to see an increase in abortions even though the numbers do not surpass historical highs in the 1980s.

“It’s pretty frustrating,” McClellan said. “I’m struggling for words because it speaks for itself.”

McClellan said he’s hopeful the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade and that Maine voters will elect people who will eliminate a women’s right to abortions or add restrictions, such as eliminating taxpayer funding or changing the definition of what is considered viable.

“Paul LePage was probably the most supportive governor in the time I have been involved in terms of life issues,” McClellan said. “I think there is some low-hanging fruit, specifically the taxpayer funding of abortions that we hope legislators would really look into next year.”

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