Comments Off on Mabel Wadsworth Center Statement Regarding EMTALA
We are horrified and appalled that the Trump administration has made the unconscionable decision to revoke the guidance under EMTALA requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortion care for patients even in states where abortion is banned. The medical care available to someone should not depend on their ZIP code. An individual’s autonomy should not depend on their ZIP code. The inherent humanity of pregnant people should not depend on their ZIP code.
We have already seen lives taken by abortion bans, even with EMTALA requiring emergency medical interventions to preserve the lives of patients, including in the form of abortion care. Politicians who implement these bans know that they are killing pregnant people. The cruelty is the point. Control is the point.
Abortion remains legal and available in Maine, including at Mabel Wadsworth Center. We are honored to provide this normal, needed care.
Comments Off on If you actually care about cis women’s safety, you have to care about trans women’s safety
Aspen Ruhlin (they/them) Mabel Wadsworth Center Community Engagement Manager
Transphobia causes significant harm to transgender people across the spectrum, whether in the form of physical violence or social othering, and many things in between. This fact is enough reason to take action and oppose this hate. While all trans people are harmed by transphobia, trans women and transfeminine folks often face the brunt of this harm, as they are most often the victims of transphobic violence and are frequently targeted socially and with anti-trans legislation. We’ve seen this targeting across the country and here in Maine, with the harassment and doxxing of a trans minor by a certain State Representative and the multiple pieces of proposed legislation attacking trans women and girls in sports. It is abhorrent, and it is inexcusable.
Harm to trans people is enough reason to oppose transphobia in any form, but we know that hate harms more than its named targets. We have seen time and again cis people, particularly cis women, harmed by misdirected transphobia. This makes perfect sense when we remember that, ultimately, transphobia is a tool of the patriarchy.
Patriarchal power structures demand an adherence to a rigid binary that simply doesn’t exist in nature. If this rigid binary did exist naturally, no one would have to try to force themselves or others into it. In this system, women are expected to be petite, weak, lacking in body hair, and more. These characteristics, along with being rooted in white supremacy, either require significant effort to achieve, like hair removal, or are just not possible for many women to fit into. Plenty of cis women are tall, like Gwendoline Christie and Meg thee Stallion, and will never fit the patriarchy’s rigid notion of acceptable womanhood. With Meg thee Stallion in particular and her experience as a tall Black woman, we see the intersections of misogyny, misdirected transphobia, and racism.
Transphobia is a tool of the patriarchy to police all women’s bodies, trans and cis alike. We saw this play out on a global stage in the 2024 Summer Olympics with the “transvestigation” of Imane Khelif, an Algerian women’s boxer who was accused of being trans for not fitting white notions of femininity. Recently, a cis woman was kicked out of a bathroom in Boston after being falsely accused of being trans. It’s important to note that it is legal for trans people to use the bathroom associated with their gender in Massachusetts.
As transphobia gains more visibility, we unsurprisingly see more cis women experiencing misdirected transphobia. Trans people are the named target of transphobia, but transphobia works to control cis people as well, forcing them to either adopt narrow expressions of gender or risk harassment. Even when misdirected transphobia isn’t on the table, the same patriarchal values that uplift transphobic beliefs harm cis people, particularly cis women. One example of this is physical strength. We are bombarded with messages from birth that women are inherently weak, though we know this isn’t true. When women are discouraged from being strong, who benefits?
Every attempt at defining womanhood in a way to exclude trans women also excludes countless cis women. Every attack on trans women is a direct attack on countless cis women and an indirect attack on the rest. If you actually care about cis women’s safety, you have to care about trans women’s safety.
Comments Off on Organizations Unite to Condemn Harassment of Maine Youth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 25, 2025
Organizations Unite to Condemn Harassment of Maine Youth
Coalition stands together to call for adults to protect children from harassment
AUGUSTA, ME – Last week, an elected official used her online social media to share a photo of a child that she identified as transgender, resulting in statewide and national harassment of a non-consenting minor.
Our organizations stand united in declaring that adults should never harass, ‘out’, or instigate attacks on minors. All children deserve our safety and protection, so they can feel safe at home, at school, and in their communities.
This year, dozens of bills have been filed that seek to threaten, roll back, or undermine the rights of trans people in our state. As these bills go through their hearings, language will get heated and tempers will get high. We urge legislators and Legislative leadership to remember that children and private citizens are off-limits, and personal attacks go against Maine values, basic decency, and endanger families. It is never okay for people in positions of power to use their roles to draw attention or harassment toward people who are just trying to live their lives with privacy and safety.
We all want what’s best for our children. We expect our leaders will have a plan to keep the focus on the policy, not on personal attacks, and to hold policymakers accountable when their actions cause harm.
Affirming Behavioral Health affirmingbehavioralhealth.org
Campfire Institute campfireinstitute.org
Confluence Collective
confluencecollective.org
Defend Our Health
defendourhealth.org
Equality Community Center eccmaine.org
EqualityMaine
equalitymaine.org
Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights grrnow.org
Hardy Girls hardygirls.org
Kindling Collective kindlingcollective.org
Little Chair Printing littlechairprinting.com
Mabel Wadsworth Center mabelwadsworth.org
Maine Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics maineaap.org
Maine Children’s Alliance mainechildrensalliance.org
Maine Council of Churches
mainecouncilofchurches.org
Maine Equal Justice maineequaljustice.org
Maine Family Planning mainefamilyplanning.org
Maine Medical Association mainephysicians.org
Maine Osteopathic Association mainedo.org
Maine Public Health Association mainepublichealth.org
Maine Women’s Lobby mainewomen.org
Maine Youth Power maineyouthpower.org
MaineTransNet mainetrans.net
Multi-faith Justice Maine mainepeoplesalliance.org
NASW Maine Chapter naswme.socialworkers.org
OUT Maine outmaine.org
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England ppnne.org
Aspen Ruhlin (they/them) Mabel Wadsworth Center Community Engagement Manager
This year would be, should be, the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade being the law of the land. While the protections of Roe were insufficient and Reproductive Justice was not realized under them, the loss of those protections is something to be mourned. Roe was the floor, not the ceiling, and while it was a rickety floor, we are certainly worse off without it.
Those who fight against access to abortion care call themselves “pro-life,” but they are anything but. To oppose abortion access is to assert that you view pregnant people as nothing more than an incubator with legs. To oppose abortion access is to loudly and confidently state your misogyny. To oppose abortion access is to believe that the life and autonomy of a real, breathing person matters less than a theoretical life.
It is important to note here that abortion access is always essential. Someone does not need to have a medical emergency or be a victim of sexual assault to deserve control over their body. There is no circumstance where a pregnant person does not deserve autonomy.
Since the Supreme Court ruled on the Dobb’s decision and removed the protections of Roe in the United States, people have still had abortions. Banning abortion does not stop it from happening. It does, however, cause significant harm both in the form of criminalization and injury or death for those who can’t access the abortion care they need. We have seen people punished for self-managing abortions and for having miscarriages. Brittany Watts, a woman from Ohio, was criminalized for seeking medical care when she miscarried a pregnancy. She’s now filing a suit that argues that nurses and police conspired to fabricate evidence against her.
We know that abortion bans kill people. Unfortunately, while we may never know all of them, the names of some of those killed by abortion bans following the Dobbs decision have started to trickle out. Every single one of these people should still be here today.
Amber Nicole Thurman died in Georgia in 2022 only 2 weeks after the state’s abortion ban went into effect and hospital staff allowed her infection from retained fetal tissue to worsen without providing adequate medical care. It feels wrong to say that Amber left behind her young son and many loved ones, because her life was taken by a system that devalues the lives of pregnant people.
Candi Miller, also in Georgia and only a few months later, died at home when her body did not expel all of the fetal tissue after a medication abortion, as she justifiably feared that she would not receive the medical care she needed due to Georgia’s abortion ban. Candi is mourned by her husband, two children, and other loved ones.
Josseli Barnica died in Texas in September of 2021. While the Dobbs decision had not yet been passed down by the Supreme Court, SB8 was passed in Texas on September 1, 2021 and banned all abortion care beyond 6 weeks gestation. With Roe still considered the law of the land, Josseli was allowed to slowly die of a uterine infection when her pregnancy was no longer viable and hospital staff chose to not intervene, instead waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop. Josseli suffered for 40 hours before finally passing. Her death bears many similarities to that of Dr. Savita Halappanavar, a dentist in Ireland who died under similar circumstances and whose death was a catalyst for abortion advocacy in the country. In 2018, abortion was legalized in Ireland by referendum vote. Josseli is mourned by her husband, daughter, and other loved ones.
Neveah Crain, only 18-years-old, died in Texas in 2023 due to being denied abortion care. She had gone to the hospital three separate times with clear signs of a miscarriage on what was supposed to be the day of her baby shower. Neveah was not provided with adequate medical care at any point, even though the second hospital visit showed she screened positive for sepsis. Her mother begged hospital staff to do something. Neveah suffered organ failure and died after hospital staff refused to save her life. She is mourned by her boyfriend, her mother, and other loved ones.
These are just some of the names we know. There are others who have been taken from us that we will never know the names of, and unfortunately, more who will be killed by cruel abortion bans. I have said this before, and I will say it again—there is nothing “pro-life” about being anti-abortion. Anti-abortion politicians, judges, and extremists have blood on their hands. People who are anti-abortion love to clutch their pearls about heartbeats—what about Josseli’s? What about Neveah’s and Amber’s and Candi’s? What about mine? Anti-abortion extremists are clearly not pro-life; they are pro-control.
There is never a circumstance where someone should be denied needed care, including abortion care. This is true whether a pregnant person is carrying an unviable pregnancy, has been assaulted, or simply does not want to be pregnant. Abortion is essential and its access should never be hindered. Josseli, Amber, Candi, Neveah, and so many others should still be here. Remember their names when you see anti-abortion protestors outside of clinics or anti-abortion politicians railing against the inherent autonomy of pregnant people.
Elle Little (they/them) Graduate student at University of Maine Communication Department and Mabel Wadsworth Center Intern
Many discussions surrounding transgender healthcare include conversations around surgeries and hormones. People may be most familiar with the concepts of “top” and “bottom” surgeries, which can help align someone’s body with either masculine or feminine representations. Some people may also be familiar with hormone replacement therapy to begin seeing new effects such as decreased facial hair or deepening of the voice. While it is true that many transgender people engage in surgery or hormone replacement therapies to alleviate symptoms of gender dysphoria, these are not the only stories that should take the focus of trans-inclusive healthcare.
It is also important to note that gender-affirming care is not exclusively accessed by cis people, or those who identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is a great example of a cisgender man who got gender-affirming surgery. He has openly discussed how he dealt with a condition called gynecomastia. This condition causes enlarged breast tissue in men. He chose to remove the excess breast tissue so he was more aligned with his identity. This is very similar to gender-affirming top surgeries for transmasculine folks and shows us that all healthcare has the power to be gender-affirming. All healthcare, from primary care to getting the annual flu shot, has the power to affirm the person receiving the care simply by using a patient’s chosen name and pronouns.
Abortions are an example of healthcare stereotyped as something that only cisgender women have. Abortions can be initiated with medications, or can be performed in-office as a procedure that removes the products of conception from the uterus. Because we live in a ciscentric society that ignores the experiences of trans folks, binary and nonbinary alike, abortions are often thought of as only being accessed by women. However, we know that abortion care is accessed by anyone who can get pregnant, regardless of gender.
These two issues, the narrow view of trans healthcare and the narrow view of abortion healthcare, create disparities between which kinds of people need this care. This can mean that trans people might not know they have access to abortion care, and that cis people might not know they can access gender-affirming care as well. Gender-affirming care for cis people can include taking hormones to increase facial hair and getting surgeries that make them feel more like the gender they identify with, just like with trans folks. Abortion care for trans people should mean that they aren’t misgendered while receiving abortion care and that they are given adequate information on pregnancy risk.
Why is it important to talk about abortion as not just a cis-sue? By openly talking about who is having abortions we create a more inclusive environment for people having abortions. This continues to normalize this common experience and can help reduce stigma when we look at abortions as something that PEOPLE have, and not just women. We also further education in the field of healthcare and reproduction. Some people may start taking testosterone and cease to menstruate, but end up pregnant anyways. The more we include trans people in abortion stories, the more people we can reach who need this care.
Some easy ways to practice being inclusive when you talk about abortions is to start replacing “woman” with “people.” “People” is gender neutral, and allows for non-women to be included. Sometimes this is taken in a negative light when people argue that by doing this, women are now being excluded. However, women are people too and are included when we talk about people! Many catchy slogans that people use to advocate for abortion rights are also highly gendered. While the protest chant, “Her body, her choice,” might be popular, an easy switch can be, “Not the church/not the state/only we decide our fate.” This is inclusive and helps everyone who has had an abortion feel included.
Photograph from rally in downtown Bangor October 2021 in response to SB8 in Texas, courtesy of Aspen Ruhlin
