October 27, 2023

Maine Law Allowing Abortion at Any Stage Takes Effect

On October 25, Maine's new law legalizing abortion until birth for any reason took effect.

LD 1619 states, “After viability an abortion may be performed only when it is necessary in the professional judgment of a physician.” Because the physician who determines the "necessity" of an abortion can be the abortionist, the law essentially removes all limits on abortion in Maine.

The bill was introduced by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D), who signed it into law on July 19. Mills said in a press release that the bill “puts the decision about whether to have an abortion later in pregnancy in the hands of women and their doctors — not politicians or lawyers, ensuring that patients can get care they need, when they need it.”

Maine Right to Life Executive Director Karen Vachon told the National Catholic Register, “It’s barbaric, it’s extreme, it’s one of the worst in the country and in all of the world.”