In the midst of all the negative abortion news coming out of the South, there’s actually some good news for women in the form of a new bill that Maine just passed, allowing for non-doctor medical professionals to perform the procedure, Fox News reported.
Governor Janet Mills signed the bill on June 10, which is expected to go into effect at around September.
This news comes in the midst of a wave of anti-abortion measures passed in other parts of the country.
Several Southern states have introduced new laws banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, around the time when a fetal heartbeat can be detected, despite this largely being a time before a woman even knows she’s pregnant.
The state of Alabama also made headlines after passing a near-total abortion ban without any exceptions for cases of rape or incest.
The bill, which Gov. Mills introduced herself, expands abortion access and those who can perform them.
It authorizes two non-doctor categories of medical professionals to perform the procedure — physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses.
In a statement, Gov. Mills explained this would serve to increase abortion access to women throughout Maine, particularly those in rural areas.
“These health care professionals are trained in family planning, counseling and abortion procedures, the overwhelming majority of which are completed without complications.”
Mills also said that signing this bill allows Maine to defend “the rights of women.”
She explained it is aimed at “taking a step towards equalizing access to care as other states are seeking to undermine, rollback, or outright eliminate these services.”
In the statement, Speaker of the House Sara Gideon said Maine is joining other states across the country which have “already eliminated this outdated restriction on abortion care,” such as Vermont and New Hampshire.
The state of Maine has struggled to offer all its citizens easily-accessible abortion clinics.
According to the Guttmacher Institute , a 2014 study found that about 81% of Maine counties had no clinics providing abortions, and 55% of Maine’s female population lived in those areas.
However, many people are praising Gov. Mills’ new bill, allowing even more women access to abortion procedures.
“Way to go Maine!” one Twitter user tweeted, while another said they are “proud to be a Mainer for the first time in awhile”.
Some have criticized the new law and expressed safety concerns.
Most critics are saying opening up who can perform abortions could potentially make the procedure less safe.
“Expanding who is allowed to perform an abortion does not expand the safety of the procedure,” Republican State Senator Stacey Guerin said.
Carroll Conley, executive director of the Christian Civic League of Maine, told the New York Times that it is unclear whether those now allowed to perform procedures will be trained properly before the law takes effect.
Oamshri Amarasingham, the advocacy director for the ACLU of Maine, praised Gov. Mills’ new bill.
She told the New York Times , “Maine’s leaders have stepped up to protect the health and well-being of individuals and families in our great state.”
h/t: Fox News
