People attend the annual March for Life rally outside the Supreme Court. After almost 50 years, abortion opponents got their wish when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had protected abortion rights nationwide. Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images.
With the fall of Roe, it is a new dawn. Our leaders must look forward instead of back. The Dobbs decision ended Roe. We must find a new direction that provides women with resources and support for parenthood, instead of bringing back policies from decades ago that are no longer relevant.
This November, Maryland voters will have the opportunity to send a message to their legislators about priorities for the future by voting on Maryland’s Constitutional Amendment on abortion.
A well-funded campaign will try to convince Maryland voters that the amendment is necessary to protect “reproductive freedom.” It doesn’t.
As it was before the Dobbs ruling, abortion is still legal in Maryland throughout pregnancy. Nothing has changed. There were essentially no limits before Dobbs, and the ruling changed nothing concerning Maryland’s pre-Dobbs laws.
On a national level, and on a state level, there are no plans or paths to enact any federal limitation on abortion. The votes aren’t there. And Republicans weakened protection of life from its platform priorities. They don’t have the appetite to engage.
The Maryland amendment is based on pre-Roe philosophy where women faced challenges and barriers of the time. It fails to address the fundamental inequities of choice for pregnant women in Maryland where one-third of pregnancies end in abortion. It fails women by ignoring the fact that Maryland already has one of the highest estimated abortion rates in the nation and the numbers seem to be increasing.
Reproductive rights and freedom include the right to have a child. The canyon of inequity between the haves and the have-nots is growing. Financially insecure families who want to have their babies are being short-changed due to the lack of focus and support for their choice. This amendment will exacerbate the inequities by continuing to ignore reproductive rights is not just abortion.
Post-Dobbs, the Maryland legislature expanded abortion by broadening financing and deregulating abortion. The state recently passed a law to allow non-doctors, including midwives and nurse practitioners, to perform abortions. Last year, Maryland passed a law to protect abortion providers from liability and passed a $15 million funding bill to invest in abortion.
Wealthy individuals will continue to have the resources to have children or have abortions just as they always have. For financially insecure women, Maryland’s heavy investment in infrastructure and resources that support abortion services will leave certain women with limited options when it comes to true reproductive choice.
The proposed amendment is not only unnecessary but also poses a significant threat to women’s rights. Its implementation will lead to more harm than good.
Maryland should address equity for pregnancy outcomes and a more comprehensive approach to reproductive rights. They must delve into the underlying reasons behind women’s choices and proactively address the barriers hindering them from exploring alternatives.
The legislature needs to address the lack of pregnancy support, such as affordable prenatal care or parenting classes, which could help women choose to carry their pregnancies to term. It should also gain a better understanding of why women seek an abortion, such as financial or personal reasons, or what more we can do to provide real choice when faced with an unintended or crisis pregnancy. We need to collect accurate information on the number of abortions, types of complications, and communities affected so we can better support women and ensure doctors are providing the best care.
Maryland has a real opportunity to lead on real reproductive choice in the post-Roe world by ending polarization of the abortion issue and focusing on how we can best support every woman who wants to become a mother.