Maine lawmakers send bill to governor allowing anonymous abortion pill prescriptions

Maine lawmakers approved a bill on May 27 that would allow prescribing abortionists to keep their names off of abortion pill containers sent by mail. The law is aimed at protecting abortionists who send abortion pills to women in states where preborn children are legally protected from abortion.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• LD538 allows abortionists in Maine to anonymously send the abortion pill to women in other states.

• The legislation helps strengthen the state’s “shield law,” which protects abortionists who violate the abortion laws enforced in other states.

• Opponents to the legislation have argued that the new law treats abortion pills differently from other prescribed drugs, despite the continual pro-abortion claim that abortion is health care.

THE DETAILS:

Maine’s LD 538 states, “At the request of the practitioner prescribing the drug, the label for mifepristone, misoprostol and their generic alternatives may include the name of the health care facility that the practitioner is associated with instead of the name of the practitioner.” Mifepristone and misoprostol are used in the two-drug abortion pill regimen.

The law, similar to those recently passed in New York and Colorado, is designed to make it harder for states with pro-life protections to bring legal action against abortionists who mail the abortion pills into pro-life states. It strengthens the state’s existing abortionist shield law, as it carries the potential to make it more difficult for officials in those other states to pinpoint the abortionist responsible for breaking the law or injuring a patient by way of the abortion pill.

THE BACKSTORY:

Earlier this year, both Texas and Louisiana sought legal action against New York abortionist Dr. Margaret Carpenter, after Carpenter mailed the abortion pill to women in those states, injuring two of the women involved and causing the deaths of three preborn children — including one who was 20 weeks. New York Governor Kathy Hochul vowed to protect Carpenter from any repercussions. Lawmakers in pro-abortion states have viewed these incidents as reason to push for bills like LD 538, allowing abortionists to send their life-ending drugs anonymously.

“These threats to providers are no longer abstract,” said state Sen. Anne Carney. “We can no longer rely on federal action when it comes to acts of violence facing clinicians providing abortion care. We must take this additional step to safeguard Maine’s health infrastructure and our commitment to protecting all clinicians in our state.”

The pro-life lobby pushed back on the idea that abortion pills should be given special protections.

“Why should the provider’s name be shielded from this act?” said Suzanne Lafreniere, who spoke on behalf of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. “This prescription should not be treated any differently than other prescribed drugs. The proponents of abortion consider it healthcare so it should be treated as such and held to the same standards.”

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

Research continues to show that the abortion pill is not only deadly for preborn children, but it’s also dangerous for women. Despite this, pro-abortion states continue to push for unregulated access to these drugs. Shielding abortionists from responsibility for abortion injuries clearly sends the message that the pro-abortion legislators don’t care about women.