Around New England

Maine Democrats Want State To Pay For Abortions

April 9, 2019

Maine is one of 34 states in the country that don’t use public money to pay for abortions, but Democrats who control the state Legislature and executive branch want to change that.

A legislative committee in the Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday, April 9 to recommend a bill that would use state money to pay for abortions for women poor enough to qualify for the state’s Medicaid health insurance program.

The bill, HP 21, would cost an estimated $376,000, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The committee vote was along party lines, with all Democrats for the bill and all Republicans against it.

Governor Janet Mills, a pro-abortion Democrat who replaced pro-life Republican Governor Paul LePage in January, supports the bill, according to the Bangor Daily News.