Although I bristle at the frequency with which Mainers resort to referendums on legislative matters that would be best handled by our elected representatives, the referendum is the perfect vehicle to allow the people of Maine to speak to explicitly enshrine reproductive autonomy in our state Constitution.

I have watched with dismay as women’s rights to this basic health care have been curtailed in many states, and I have watched with pride and envy those states where the people have spoken up for their rights and secured them.

I urge our legislators to pass L.D. 780 to bring to Maine voters a reproductive autonomy constitutional amendment to affirm constitutional protection for reproductive rights. We need to amend our state Constitution to make explicit that reproductive rights are fundamental human rights that aren’t up for debate, regardless of shifting political winds.

Carol Eisenberg
Peaks Island