| Last Updated:
Mar 11, 2010 - 9:20:54 PM |
 |
A proposal to use state money to fund abortions for poor women has been killed by a legislative committee.
Members of the Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously against the bill after revisiting it on Friday.
The bill was important to activists on both sides of the issue. Abortion-rights advocates said it addressed inequities in health care, while social conservatives objected to using tax money for a procedure that they oppose morally.
Lawmakers, particularly supporters of the measure, cited the proposal's cost in a difficult fiscal climate as a factor in its demise.
Opponents stressed the outcry against the bill, which included a State House rally attended by about 200 people.
The measure, sponsored by Senate President Beth Edmonds, D-Freeport, would have provided $283,000 each year to pay for abortions for women who are eligible for MaineCare, the state's version of Medicaid.
The federal-state program now covers the procedure only when a woman's life is threatened or when a pregnancy results from rape or incest.
"I'm disappointed," Edmonds said, "but I think (the committee) made the decision early in the session to not pass anything that was a new benefit that required funding."
Sen. Joseph Brannigan, D-Portland, said he and the other committee co-chair, Rep. Anne Perry, D-Calais, recommended voting against the bill.
Both were among the bipartisan group of 32 lawmakers who co-sponsored it.
"We have tried to not initiate new programs, benefits, because of the money. It was on that basis," Brannigan said.
Marc Mutty, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said he heard many times that there was not enough money for the initiative. But he also gave much of the credit to those who voiced their opposition.
"I think, certainly, it was made crystal-clear we were adamant about this issue and we were going to press this aggressively," he said.
Backers of the bill remain committed to their cause and are weighing their options, said Kate Brogan, a spokeswoman for the Family Planning Association of Maine.
Proponents note that court challenges in other states have led to similar programs.
Mike Hein, administrator of the Christian Civic League, said opponents are ready to fight in court, though he prefers that the debate happen in the State House, where citizens can give input and legislators are put on record.
"They kind of took a pass on this one," Hein said of lawmakers. "I suspect if it goes to the courts, it's anybody's guess."
Click here to post your comments.
From the May 16, 2007 edition of the Portland Press Herald.
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is reproduced for non-profit educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Send us feedback on this page by clicking
here
Copyright by
Maine Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.
Top of Page
|
