–The following article was submitted by District 7 Delegates Lauren Arikan, Ryan Nawrocki and Kathy Szeliga about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, one year later.’
On June 24th, 2022, the United States Supreme Court reversed a fifty-year precedent, declaring that abortion is not protected under the US Constitution by overturning the decisions of Roe v. Wade and Casey v. Planned Parenthood.
The power was returned to the states to regulate abortion. Some states, like Maryland, have taken the extreme approach to allow abortion for all nine months of pregnancy, even for minors without parental notification.
Other states have put some limits on abortion, allowing it for the first two or three months of pregnancy and then only for the mother’s life, severe abnormalities of the baby, rape, or incest after that. Since 1973, over 60 million babies have been lost to abortion in the United States.
For the last fifty years, the pro-life movement has peacefully worked to reduce abortions in America and offered services and help to women and their babies who chose life during and after pregnancy. Since the overruling of Roe, pro-life activists around the nation have been subject to violence and assault, and it has even happened close to home.
In late May, two pro-life activists prayed outside a Planned Parenthood location in Baltimore City. They were viciously beaten, kicked, and knocked to the ground before being taken to the hospital for their injuries.
Both peaceful activists were elderly men within their legal right to assemble and pray on a public sidewalk. They were not causing any harm to anyone or their property. This is not just an attack on pro-life activists but also on their freedom of speech.
No one, regardless of opinion, should be subject to such violence. One of these senior citizens faces several surgeries to repair the broken bones he sustained. A photo of the attacker is circulating on social media, and he is yet to be identified.
After learning of the attack of the two older gentlemen outside Planned Parenthood on North Howard Street, we wrote a letter to the Attorney General asking for the vicious incident to be investigated as a hate crime.
Then on July 8th, 83-year-old Olga Fairfax was physically attacked as she prayerfully protested in front of a Takoma Park office building with an abortion facility.
This was an unprovoked, brutal assault from a woman who stopped her car in heavy traffic, jumped out, and proceeded to “land one blow after another” on the elderly Ms. Fairfax. Thankfully, she will recover from her injuries. We will continue to urge the Attorney General to investigate these assaults as potential hate crimes.
Unfortunately, Maryland law protects the right to abortion through every trimester of pregnancy, with no restrictions before 24 weeks, roughly four months. Minors also have unfettered access to abortions without parental notification or consent.
After the 2023 session, abortion access was greatly expanded by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions, requiring abortion resources on college campuses without any options for choosing life, and preventing interstate cooperation in releasing medical history of abortion. Insurance companies and Medicaid are required to pay 100% of the cost of abortion for all procedures.
With all the changes in expanding abortion care in Maryland, it is now easier than ever to get an abortion, and taxpayers cover the cost. Maryland taxpayers spend tens of millions of dollars annually on abortions. Maryland is one of eight states that voluntarily fund abortions and one of 17 states offering abortions paid by state-funded Medicaid.
It is against the conscience of many Americans to pay for abortions, and a Marist poll found that 60% of Americans oppose their tax dollars being used for these services. Despite public opinion being against state-funded abortions, radical Maryland lawmakers increased taxpayer funding for abortion.
Maryland will expand their reputation as the abortion destination of the east coast because of virtually unfettered abortion for all nine months, even for minors without parental notification. Governor Moore declares Maryland an “abortion haven,” he vows to work with Planned Parenthood and others to increase the number of abortions performed in Maryland.
Maryland has a governor and radical lawmakers that don’t just support abortion access across the state; they encourage it and want to see more abortions performed.
A recent news piece dubbed Maryland the Patron State of Abortion. The article details the opening of new clinics in Allegany County to treat women crossing the border from West Virginia and a new clinic in College Park that performs third-trimester abortions.
So far, the clinic has served patients from more than 30 states, many of whom had never been on a plane or even left their home state before traveling to Maryland for an abortion.
Abortion is not without medical risk, especially in the later months of pregnancy. Complications can be minor, or they can lead to a perforated uterus, scarring, infertility, and even death. The mental and psychological complications of abortion can stay with a woman throughout her life, especially after she has children.
There are post-abortion mental health support services for women and men struggling with abortions. Unfortunately, 67% of women receive no counseling before an abortion, and many more are unprepared for mental and psychological aftereffects.
Biased news outlets like CNN are upset that more babies are being born in some states, citing that new Texas law “may have led to nearly 10,000 more births than expected.” These 10,000 babies can now see the world as a part of the post-Roe generation who, for the first time in fifty years, have been recognized with the right to live.
The 14th Amendment of the US Constitution states that no state shall deprive any person of the right to LIFE, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Legislation that protects life and supports pregnant mothers is a focus for us.
We proudly support the recent federal passage of The Pregnant Woman Fairness Act to support pregnant women in the workplace. When we debated the bill to make abortion free for all women on the House floor, we offered an amendment to make pregnancy healthcare free too.
The free abortion bill passed, and the expanded help for women who chose life was defeated. Measures to help women postpartum have been passed in Annapolis with our full support. We will continue to do all we can to support women and their families during and after pregnancy and their babies.
