Maine governor expands access to abortion later in pregnancy [View all]
Source: ABC News
AUGUSTA, Maine -- Maine will soon expand abortion access, joining a half dozen states that leave it to doctors and patients to make the decision without restrictions on timing.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill into law Wednesday that allows abortions at any time if deemed medically necessary by a doctor, making the law one of the nation's least restrictive. The previous law banned abortions after a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, at roughly 24 weeks, but allowed an exception if the patient’s life is at risk.
“Maine law should recognize that every pregnancy, like every woman, is different, and that politicians cannot and should not try to legislate the wide variety of difficult circumstances pregnant women face," Mills said before signing the bill. The law goes into effect 90 days after the state Legislature’s session ends in the coming weeks.
Mills had said during her reelection campaign that the old law didn't need to be changed. But she reversed course after learning of a Maine veterinarian who needed to travel to Colorado for an abortion after learning at week 32 of her pregnancy that her unborn son had a fatal condition that would not allow him to survive.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/maine-governor-expands-access-abortion-pregnancy-101489264
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