47 Years of Roe!

Today marks the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade which has kept abortion legal in the US for almost five decades. While we take a moment to recognize the importance of this landmark Supreme Court decision, we must also acknowledge that Roe has never ensured meaningful access to abortion care for all of us. It hasn’t kept politicians from pushing abortion out of reach for people struggling to make ends meet—especially women of color, young folks, LGBTQ individuals and immigrant communities. As Amanda Reyes, a leader from the Yellowhammer fund explains:

“Rather than a day of “victory,” January 22 should be a dayof reflection for our movement, in which we remember how narrow our political victories are when we do not position the right to a legal abortion as a human right, regardless of a person’s income, zip code, age, race, or immigration status.”

We made huge strides last year in the state of Maine with the passage of LD 820 requiring MaineCare and private insurances to cover abortion and LD 1261 which allows trained and qualified advanced care providers like Nurse Practitioners to provide abortion care. These laws have significantly increased access to care for low-income Mainers and people living in our most rural communities. We are proud of Maine’s progress and envision a future where we all have the ability to decide when and whether to parent.

The fact remains that the right to abortion is at risk. In 2019, we experienced an unprecedented number of abortion bans passed in states across the country and the Trump Administration continues to stack the federal courts with judges with extreme ideologies in opposition to reproductive freedom. And while abortion remains legal and available in all 50 states, in this upcoming year, we will continue to face the real threat of abortion care being further dismantled, further restricted or pushed out of reach entirely. However, we are part of a resilient, creative, and determined movement and we’re not backing down!

Join us this Friday, January 24th for our annual Roe v. Wade Anniversary event. We are building community and strengthening the movement through story sharing. We will be gathering from 6 – 8 PM at Tea and Tarts in Downtown Bangor for a public abortion sharing event. Everyone is welcome, whether you have a story that you to share or want to listen as people in our community share how the right to abortion has impacted their lives – please join us. Prior to the event, we are holding a story-crafting workshop from 3:30 – 5:30 PM at the Health Equity Alliance for anyone who has had an abortion. There is still space in the workshop and you can sign up here!