The ability to determine our reproductive health is a fundamental human right, and it deserves the same level of protection as other constitutionally protected rights. The ability to control one’s reproductive health is vital to being an equal member of our society and economy — this includes the decision of when, whether and how to start a family.

For 50 years — most of my lifetime — many believed that we had a guaranteed right to reproductive liberty.

Maine statutes in place today continue to protect access to reproductive health care. However, the 2022 Supreme Court decision that reversed Roe v. Wade served as a stark reminder that laws can change.

That’s why I am proud to sponsor L.D. 780, a resolution proposing an amendment to the constitution of Maine to protect reproductive autonomy. This bill has cleared an initial hurdle in the Senate. It will take more work to clear the two-thirds support threshold for enactment so that it can be sent to voters, but I remain hopeful.

L.D. 780, if approved by the voters, would enshrine the right to access reproductive health care — including access to abortion, birth control and fertility care — in our Constitution.

The language in the title of the proposed referendum — reproductive autonomy — is simple and, I believe, straightforward. Yet, there have been questions about what this amendment really means.

First: “Reproductive” can be understood to cover the basic biology of human reproduction. Meaning, anything related to the menstrual cycle, conceiving a pregnancy and delivering a baby:

On the one hand, there is sperm, and on the other, an egg. When these two join, they form what is called a zygote. When, and if, a zygote successfully implants in a uterus, it is called an embryo. If all goes well, the embryo develops into a fetus, taking nourishment from the womb. Again, if all goes well over the course of roughly nine months, the fetus is delivered and a child is born.

Autonomy refers to the ability of an individual to decide what happens to their own body, including what medical treatment to pursue.

Reproductive autonomy ensures that the person who produces the sperm, or the egg, and the individual who hosts the embryo in their womb, is able to decide when and if and how to engage in reproduction.

For instance: There are times when a person may decide to delay reproduction and thus seek birth control; in other instances, an individual may wish to prevent any future reproduction or may have other health reasons for avoiding reproduction, so a vasectomy or hysterectomy may be in order.

In yet other instances, an individual may need medical assistance in their desires to reproduce, and IVF or other procedures may be called for.

There are times, tragically, when a pregnancy may result from rape or incest, or may threaten the health of the mother. In such circumstances, most of us understand the decision to terminate a pregnancy. There are other conditions, however, where the weighty decision to terminate a pregnancy would be considered by the individual with the womb to be in the best interest of that person, their family or their future ability to bear a child.

These medical decisions are all highly personal and individual. These are all decisions a person — an autonomous being — makes, has the right to make, with the support and care of loved ones and trusted medical providers.

I have been pregnant twice in my life and have gratefully given birth to two healthy sons, who are now grown. From my own experience, and from witnessing many friends and family members’ experience of successful and some not successful pregnancies, I can say unequivocally that there is nothing else like it.

As a friend of mine who is a doctor put it, “Pregnancy may be natural, but it is not normal,” by which she meant that a pregnant person’s body undergoes major biological changes — some are clearly visible, but many are not. The reality of one’s body giving of itself to form another body is felt in myriad ways. And while every pregnancy is different, it is in itself an experience unique among all others.

Reproduction is serious business, and it is those engaged in reproduction — the sperm holder, the egg producer or the individual with the womb — who should be making the decisions about the health care they need as well as if and when and how they engage in reproduction. Not me, nor you nor any other elected or appointed politician.

For the good of each and every one of us, we need to get politics out of reproductive care and reproductive care out of politics.

The proposed amendment, if approved by voters, will ensure just that: Reproductive autonomy for all.

Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Arrowsic, represents Senate District 24 in the Maine Senate, which includes all of Sagadahoc County and the town of Dresden in Lincoln County.

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