Lawmakers in Augusta held a public hearing Tuesday for a bill that would institute legal protections for those seeking or providing “gender-affirming health care” and “reproductive health care services” in Maine.
Originally introduced last session as a concept draft titled “An Act Regarding Health Care in the State,” the bill’s sponsor — Rep. Anne C. Perry (D-Calais) — introduced just last week a lengthy amendment setting forth the actual proposed language for the legislation.
Although this amendment was not released until last week, the bill’s public hearing stretched late into the night on Tuesday.
Although the bill refers to “gender-affirming health care” and “reproductive health care services,” those terms are euphemisms that far left activists use, respectively, to refer to late-term abortions and sex-change drugs and surgeries.
Several representatives of medical associations — as well as individuals speaking on behalf of organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Maine Family Planning, and Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights — spoke in support of the measure.
Notably, organizations like Planned Parenthood stand to profit enormously from higher rates of abortion services in Maine. That organization has also started offering sex-change related services, which would add an additional revenue boost for the group.
Those testifying against the bill were primarily unaffiliated members of the public, drawn to Augusta primarily through a network of activists built last year by Rep. Laurel Libby (R-Auburn) in response to Gov. Janet Mills (D) push for LD 1916, a bill that legalized full term abortions in Maine. Several legislators also offered testimony in opposition to the proposed legislation.
While supporters of the bill emphasized the need to protect Maine medical providers from litigation originating in states that have banned abortion and various forms of “gender-affirming care,” opponents expressed concerns about the impact that this legislation could have in practice, suggesting that it could end up enabling forms of kidnapping and trafficking.
Many also expressed frustration with the fact that the 21-page amendment was not released until last week and that the text was still not readily available to the public online when the hearing began.
If passed, this law would establish a legal right to “gender-affirming health care” and “reproductive health care” in Maine, as well as create a mechanism for individuals to file lawsuits against those who attempt to interfere with these procedures.
It would also allow those targeted by “hostile litigation” in other states to file counter-suits in order to potentially recover damages, punitive damages, and legal fees.
This legislation would also prohibit enforcement of judgements and subpoenas from other states that are related to Maine’s “legally protected health care activity.”
Subsequent sections of the bill would make changes to state extradition law in order to “prohibit the Governor from surrendering a person charged in another state for engaging in or aiding and assisting in legally protected health care activity.”
This legislation also would provide address confidentiality to “health care practitioners” providing “gender-affirming” or “reproductive” heath care services.
Also under this law, health care providers would be insulated from various forms of “professional discipline” on account of their choice to engage in these kinds of services.
Click Here to Read the Full Text of LD 227
When introducing this legislation during Tuesday’s public hearing, Rep. Perry testified that this bill “reinforces the fact that Mainers have control over their own bodies and health care decisions.”
“It is clear that access to reproductive health care and gender affirming care are legally protected in Maine,” she said. “This bill aims to protect patients from having their medical records shared with law enforcement agencies in other states, while also protecting providers by allowing them to participate in the state’s address confidentiality program.”
Perry also said that this legislation “ensures Maine’s resources are not used to further hostile litigation from states where essential health care is banned, except where required by federal law.”
“During a time when we are seeing an increase in restrictions on abortion and gender affirming care across the country, Maine needs to be a leader to defend our patients and our providers,” Perry said. “We have a duty to govern for everybody, and that means ensuring access to quality confidential medical care for those that need it.”
Those testifying in support of the legislation repeatedly referred to laws in other states that ban or restrict abortions, medical gender transitions, and other procedures covered under this law, as “extreme,” classifying these procedures as “essential health care.”
Several individuals representing the interests of health care providers in Maine focused their remarks on the protections this law would afford to medical practitioners, insulating them from out-of-state legal action which they described as being centered around the “criminalization of medical practices.”
“Maine must take action to protect providers from hostile laws enacted in other states and to secure access to reproductive and transgender health care,” a representative of Maine Family Planning, an abortion clinic operator, testified.
A representative of the Maine Association of Physician Assistants argued that providers ought to be able to provide “gender-affirming” and “reproductive” health care services “without fear of out-of-state vigilantism.”
“States across the country are not only banning essential care, but also driving efforts in penalizing and even prosecuting criminally health care providers and people who help patients,” a representative of abortion clinic operator Planned Parenthood testified. “Given the national climate, it’s more important than ever that Maine join this growing movement, affirm its commitment to essential health care, and pursue every possible avenue to safeguard providers like Planned Parenthood in the state.”
Among those testifying in opposition to the bill, most were members of the public not speaking on behalf of any particular interest or organization or a business with a profit to be made should the bill pass.
Several of those who offered testimony against this bill expressed frustration with the apparent lack of transparency concerning the amendment’s rollout, noting that as of Tuesday, the proposed text of the bill was still not readily available on the Legislature’s website.
One woman described the process as “manipulative,” accusing lawmakers of releasing the text of the bill “under the cover of darkness” in “a late fashion.”
Many members of the public who spoke against this bill framed their comments with respect to their faith while also underscoring the scientific basis for their opposition. Others focused their remarks primarily on the medical concerns that have been raised with respect to surgical and prescription treatments for children expressing a desire to change their gender.
Concerns over the bill’s potential to enable forms of trafficking were raised several times during the public hearing as well.
House Republican Leader Rep. Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor) urged lawmakers on the Committee to reject the bill so as to “not make our state a destination for child trafficking, kidnapping, and sex trafficking.”
“It is arrogant and dangerous for Maine to enact a law that would protect criminals who come to Maine with their victims from the laws of other states,” Rep. Faulkingham said.
Rep. Reagan Paul (R-Winterport) suggested in her testimony that “LD 227 outlines a vision for Maine that is truly egregious and dangerous to the women of our state,” noting that she hopes “the recklessness of providing life-altering so-called gender-affirming care for children who are not equipped to make such a decision would be obvious.”
“This bill could actually enable reproductive coercion and crimes against pregnant women, and remove any recourse they might have if they are injured by an abortion procedure,” Rep. Paul said.
Rep. Tracy Quint (R-Hodgdon) suggested that the proposed bill seeks to protect health care providers, insurers, and other entities “before and at the expense of both the children and adults in this state.”
Rep. Katrina Smith (R-Palermo) focused her remarks before the Committee on the rise in gender dysphoria diagnoses, suggesting that it is “undeniable proof of a social contagion,” arguing that under LD 227, “there is only a legal right to encourage gender dysphoria, and not to question it or slow it down.”
"LD 227 outlines a vision for Maine that is truly egregious."
— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) March 6, 2024
Maine GOP lawmakers testify in opposition to Maine's revamped Transgender Trafficking bill.
More on the bill:https://t.co/hTnKkslc3Y pic.twitter.com/Bh6BHCuIer
Although several lawmakers suggested at the start of Tuesday’s hearing that this bill ought to be considered by the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee due to the complex legal questions it raises, only four members — Rep. Scott Cyrway (R-Albion), Rep. Joshua Morris (R-Turner), Rep. Robert Nutting (R-Oakland), and Rep. Gregg Swallow (R-Houlton) — voted in favor of this motion.
Consequently, the members of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee will continue their consideration of this legislation in the weeks to come.
Click Here for More Information on LD 227 and Click Here to Read the Bill’s Full Text
Mills and the liberals are working hard to drive the state all the way into the sewer.
Only those who are evil or insane or so hungry for money that they will destroy lives would support this.
Amazing how women have been convinced to kill their babies.
The idea that “gender affirming care” consisting of experimental hormones and mutilation surgery should be legal and available for minors is sick, depraved and ghoulish. More and more research is showing that treating them as normal kids results in good outcomes for about 95% of kids with the transgender fantasy. Real gender affirming care would affirm their real or birth gender. Suicide rates are actually higher for kids who have “transitioned”, because they end up looking like monsters and require continuous medical care for the rest of their lives.
Why didn’t they call it the Sexual Freedom Tourism Bill?
Supporters would like the term USA to stand for United States of Abortion and Affirmation.
Can the return of Lobotomy Tourism be far behind?
One flew east, one flew west; one flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
We should rename the State House the Cuckoo’s Nest. And think of Mills as Nurse Ratched.
Deceitful articles and social media posts like those associated with the article feed into rightwing disinformation and terrorism, and the publishers should be held accountable.