AUGUSTA - A majority of the Legislature's Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee voted on Wednesday to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Amy Kuhn, D-Falmouth, that would strengthen protections for health care providers so that they may offer abortion care for people traveling to Maine without threats to their ability to practice medicine.
LD 616 would prohibit insurance companies that provide medical malpractice insurance in Maine from taking any adverse action against a health care professional that provides abortion or other reproductive health care services on the basis that a health care professional is acting in violation of another state's law.
"Decisions about abortion care are private and should be made between patients and their health care providers, not politicians," said Kuhn. "Last year's U.S. Supreme Court decision introduced a lot of uncertainty about how state laws will interact with each other and impact abortion care access across the country. This bill will eliminate one of those uncertainties, providing more peace of mind for patients and providers. I'm pleased that the majority of the committee voted to advance this bill."
The bill faces further votes in the House and Senate in the coming weeks.
Kuhn is serving her first term in the Maine House and represents House District 111, which includes Falmouth. She serves on the Legislature's Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Kuhn], c. 305-965-2744