Vote to protect reproductive rights

The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com
Lisa Margulies is vice president of public affairs at Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund and PAC.
We are less than two weeks away from an Election Day that will decide the future of reproductive rights in our country and here in Maine.
When six justices on the U.S. Supreme Court revoked federal protections for abortion in the 2022 Dobbs decision, they threw our country into a reproductive health care crisis, condemning families across the country to devastating harm and suffering. Women have died. Pregnant people have been pushed to the  brink of death, suffering long-term effects including loss of future fertility, because politicians in many states passed laws outlawing basic, essential medical care.
 In addition to abortion, these same politicians have taken aim at access to birth control, fertility treatments like IVF, and LGBTQ+ rights.
Voters have rebuked these efforts. Since Dobbs, voters in many states across the country — including here in Maine — have elected pro-reproductive rights champions to protect and expand access to care. And when they’ve had the opportunity, voters have protected access to abortion and related care in their state constitutions and rejected efforts to erode basic rights.
To that end, it’s worth noting what’s not on the ballot this year in Maine: a constitutional amendment protecting reproductive autonomy. Last legislative session, some lawmakers  denied Mainers the opportunity to make our voices heard on this issue at the voting booth. Those politicians apparently were afraid to let voters have a say in one of the most important issues of our time but they should know that Mainers value reproductive liberty. But thankfully, we cannot be denied our right to elect leaders who will fight for our rights and reject those who do not.
In Maine, we have strong state laws protecting access to abortion and related care, but we cannot get complacent. The truth is, we are safe here, for now. Our state-level protections help ensure families in Maine can get the care they need, when they need it. But let me be clear: Our laws, as strong as they are, will remain strong only as long as we elect leaders who will fight to protect them.
Every seat in the Maine Legislature is up for grabs on Nov. 5. That means if we want to keep our laws strong and defeat ongoing attacks on our rights, we must elect leaders we can trust with our rights. No politician is more qualified to make decisions about pregnancy than patients and their medical providers, and we must vote for leaders who understand this.
Let’s remember: Dozens of Maine lawmakers currently running for reelection have already voted to degrade our reproductive rights. These politicians voted to  criminalize providers of abortion care, to implement waiting periods and medically unnecessary medical procedures for Mainers seeking abortion care, and to take away insurance coverage of abortion for some of Maine’s most vulnerable patients. Thankfully, these harmful proposals were defeated by a majority of lawmakers — elected by Maine voters — who value necessary and essential health care.
Still, anti-abortion lawmakers denied us an opportunity to vote on a reproductive rights amendment, and voters should consider this at the ballot box on Nov. 5. We will not be silenced. Our reproductive rights in Maine are not up for debate. Our bodies and our futures belong to us.