Abortion in Maine
Abortion in Maine is legal. 64% of adults said in a poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Terminology. The abortion debate most commonly relates to the "induced abortion" of an embryo or fetus at some point in a pregnancy, which is also how the term is used in a legal sense. Some also use the term "elective abortion", which is used in relation to a claim to an unrestricted right of a woman to an abortion, whether or not she chooses to have one. The term elective  abortion or voluntary abortion describes the interruption of pregnancy before viability at the request of the woman, but not for medical reasons. Anti-abortion advocates tend to use terms such as "unborn baby", "unborn child", or "pre-born child", and see the medical terms "embryo", "zygote", and "fetus" as dehumanizing. Both "pro-choice" and "pro-life" are examples of terms labeled as political framing: they are terms which purposely try to define their philosophies in the best possible light, while by definition attempting to describe their opposition in the worst possible light. "Pro-choice" implies that the alternative viewpoint is  anti-choice, while "pro-life" implies the alternative viewpoint is "pro-death" or "anti-life". The Associated Press encourages journalists to use the terms "abortion rights" and "anti-abortion". Context. Free birth control correlates to teenage girls having fewer pregnancies and fewer abortions. A 2014 "New England Journal of Medicine" study found such a link. At the same time, a 2011 study by Center for Reproductive Rights and Ibis Reproductive Health also found that states with more abortion restrictions have higher rates of maternal death, higher rates of uninsured pregnant women, higher rates of infant and child deaths, higher rates  of teen drug and alcohol abuse, and lower rates of cancer screening. According to a 2017 report from the Center for Reproductive Rights and Ibis Reproductive Health, states that tried to pass additional constraints on a women's ability to access legal abortions had fewer policies supporting women's health, maternal health, and children's health. These states also tended to resist expanding Medicaid, family leave, medical leave, and sex education in public schools. According to Megan Donovan, a senior policy manager at the Guttmacher Institute, states that have legislation seeking to protect a woman's right to access abortion  services have the lowest rates of infant mortality in the United States. Poor women in the United States had problems paying for menstrual pads and tampons in 2018 and 2019. Almost two-thirds of American women could not pay for them. These were not available through the federal Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC). Lack of menstrual supplies has an economic impact on poor women. A study in St. Louis found that 36% had to miss days of work because they lacked adequate menstrual hygiene supplies during their period. This was on top of the fact that many had other  menstrual issues including bleeding, cramps and other menstrual induced health issues. This state was one of a majority that taxed essential hygiene products like tampons and menstrual pads as of November 2018. History. Legislative history. The first abortion-related legislation was passed in the state in 1821. The second law was passed 19 years later, in 1840. In 1857, RS 1857, c. 124, §§7, 8, was passed related to the concealment of birth and procuring of abortions. It would be another 14 years before a law on this same theme was passed. In 1883, another law on concealment of birth  and procuring of abortions was passed. Twenty more years would pass, and then a new law on concealment of birth and procuring of abortions passed in 1903. By the end of the 1800s, all states in the Union, except Louisiana, had therapeutic exceptions in their legislative bans on abortions. In the 19th century, bans by state legislatures on abortion were about protecting the life of the mother, given the number of deaths caused by abortions; state governments saw themselves as looking out for the lives of their citizens. Abortion-related legislation would again pass the Maine legislature in 1907, 1909 , 1916, 1921, 1930, 1935, 1943, 1944, 1954, 1964, 1967, and 1969. Two abortion-related bills were passed 1971: one, LD 1373, "An Act Relating to Termination of Human Pregnancy by Therapeutic Abortion"; and the other, LD 1406, "An Act Relating to Termination of Human Pregnancy by Medical Decision". In 1973, the year of the US Supreme Court "Roe v. Wade" ruling, seven pieces of legislation related to abortion were passed. These included HP 857, "Joint Resolution Memorializing Congress to Call A Convention for the Purpose of Amending the United States Constitution Relative to Abortion"; LD 887, "An Act Relating to  Reporting of Data of Abortions Performed by an Attending Physician"; LD 888, "An Act Prohibiting the Use and Sale of Human Fetus for Experimentation"; LD 952, "An Act Relating to Discrimination Against Persons Who Refuse to Perform or Assist Abortions"; LD 953, "An Act Relating to Immunity of Persons or Hospitals Refusing to Perform or Assist in Abortions"; LD 1529, "An Act Regulating Abortion Procedures"; and LD 1824, "An Act to Prevent Criminal Abortion Practices". In 1974, HP 1897, a "Joint Order Commending the Pro-Life Education Association", was passed. Maine passed abortion-related legislation in 1993 that said women  have the right to "terminate a pregnancy before viability". Abortions need to be performed by a licensed physician. After the point where a fetus is viable, a pregnancy can only be terminated if the life or health of the mother is at risk. The state was one of 10 states in 2007 to have a customary informed-consent provision for abortions. In August 2018, the state had a law to protect the right to have an abortion. As of May 14, 2019, the state prohibited abortions after the fetus was viable, generally some point between week 24 and 28. This  period uses a standard defined by the US Supreme Court in 1973 with the "Roe v. Wade" ruling. Judicial history. The US Supreme Court's decision in 1973's "Roe v. Wade" ruling meant the state could no longer regulate abortion in the first trimester. Clinic history. Between 1982 and 1992, the number of abortion clinics in the state decreased by 33, going from 39 in 1982 to 17 in 1992. In 2014, there were 4 abortion clinics in the state. In 2014, 81% of the counties in the state did not have an abortion clinic. That year, 55% of  women in the state aged 15–44 lived in a county without an abortion clinic. In 2017, there were 4 Planned Parenthood clinics, 1 of which offered abortion services in a state with a population of 278,104 women aged 15–49. Statistics. In the period between 1972 and 1974, there were no recorded illegal abortion deaths in the state. In 1990, 143,000 women in the state faced the risk of an unintended pregnancy. In 2010, the state had 15 publicly funded abortions, all of which were federally funded. In 2013, among white women aged 15–19, there were 280 abortions, for black women  aged 15–19, there were 10 abortions, for Hispanic women aged 15–19, there were 0 abortions, and there were 10 abortions for women of all other races. In 2014, 64% of adults said in a poll by the Pew Research Center that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. In 2017, the state had an infant mortality rate of 5.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. Abortion rights views and activities. Protests. Women from the state participated in marches supporting abortion rights as part of a #StoptheBans movement in May 2019. Views. Women in Film Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer said  of Georgia and other states similar restrictive abortion bans passed in early 2019: "A woman's right to make choices about her own body is fundamental to her personal and professional well-being. [...] We support people who make the choice not to take their production to Georgia or take a job in Georgia because of the draconian anti-choice law. To that end, we've compiled a list of pro-choice states that offer meaningful tax rebates and production incentives, and encourage everyone to explore these alternatives: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Washington