Maine

hello
Janet Mills
Governor Janet Mills has been a staunch supporter of reproductive freedom in Maine. She has expanded access to reproductive healthcare, consistently defended reproductive rights, and has allocated state funding to organizations providing essential reproductive healthcare services.
maine.gov

Janet Mills

Governor
Learn More
Governor Mills Sponsored and Signed L.D. 1261
The bill signed by Governor Janet Mills allows nurse practitioners and physician assistants to perform abortions. This action significantly expands access to abortion services, especially in rural areas where there are fewer doctors.
Learn More

Governor Mills Sponsored and Signed L.D. 1261

Featured Action
While some politicians relentlessly attack people who seek, and those who provide, reproductive and gender affirming care, the State of Maine is standing up to send the clear and unequivocal message that we will protect patients and medical providers from the hostile, discriminatory actions of out-of-state politicians trying to exact extreme agendas.

Governor Janet Mills, Maine

KEY ACTIONS

    •
    Amicus Brief in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration
    July 18, 2024

    Amicus Brief in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. Food and Drug Administration

    Governor Mills and 21 other governors filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of abortion rights in Food and Drug Administration, et al., v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. In this brief, the Reproductive Freedom Alliance governors argued that if the Court reverses FDA approval of Mifepristone and limits access to the vital medicine, it could undermine Governors’ ability to provide adequate healthcare services and would have far-reaching implications beyond reproductive healthcare.
    Defeated LD 1614, An Act to Require an Ultrasound and Certain Counseling Before an Abortion
    July 18, 2024

    Defeated LD 1614, An Act to Require an Ultrasound and Certain Counseling Before an Abortion

    Governor Mills and her allies in the state legislature defeated this bill before it reached her desk. If enacted, this bill would have required abortion providers to conduct an ultrasound on people seeking abortions and make them wait 48 hours before the procedure.
    Defeated LD 1249, An Act Prohibited Telehealth Services
    July 18, 2024

    Defeated LD 1249, An Act Prohibited Telehealth Services

    Governor Mills and her allies in the state legislature defeated this bill before it reached her desk. If enacted, this bill would have prohibited telehealth providers from prescribing abortion medication.
    Defeated LD 1197, An Act to Prevent Coerced Abortion
    July 18, 2024

    Defeated LD 1197, An Act to Prevent Coerced Abortion

    Governor Mills and her allies in the state legislature defeated this bill before it reached her desk. If enacted, this act would have amended the informed consent to abortion laws by requiring that the health care professional performing an abortion provide orally and in writing a host of information, including an offer to call law enforcement on the patient’s behalf, as well as to provide a refund if consent for a procedure is withdrawn.
    Defeated LD 771, An Act to Protect a Woman’s Right to Withdraw Consent for an Abortion
    July 18, 2024

    Defeated LD 771, An Act to Protect a Woman’s Right to Withdraw Consent for an Abortion

    Governor Mills and her allies in the state legislature defeated this bill before it reached her desk. If enacted, this bill would have established a pregnant person’s right to withdraw consent to an abortion at any time, thus ignoring the realities of actual abortion care practice and strong informed consent laws in the state.
    LD 1619, An Act to Improve Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Laws
    July 17, 2024

    LD 1619, An Act to Improve Maine’s Reproductive Privacy Laws

    This bill, which was sponsored, announced, and signed by Governor Mills, updates Maine law to make clear that the decision about an abortion later in a pregnancy will be made by qualified medical professionals with their patients. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that abortions after viability only may be performed to preserve the life or health of the mother, and instead allows for later-in-pregnancy abortions when necessary in the professional judgment of a licensed physician. The bill also eliminates language in current law that subjects medical providers who perform abortions to criminal penalties under certain circumstances, instead regulating abortion like other safe, legal medical procedures. It also updates antiquated data collection policies related to abortion care to reduce stigma, protect patient privacy, and protect reproductive health care providers.
    Issued Executive Order 4
    July 17, 2024

    Issued Executive Order 4

    Governor Mills signed this Executive Order in July 2022 to further safeguard access to abortion in Maine and to protect Maine health care providers who provide reproductive health care and their patients in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. More specifically, this Order prohibits State agencies from cooperating with another state’s investigation into a person, organization, or health care provider for delivering abortion care in Maine; directs State agencies to conduct a review of laws and regulations for barriers to reproductive health care and exercise discretionary authority under the law to remove or minimize those barriers; and makes clear that the Governor will exercise her authority within the law to decline extradition attempts from other states pursuing criminal charges against a person for receiving or performing abortion care.
    LD 935, An Act to Remove Barriers to Abortion Coverage in Private Insurance
    July 17, 2024

    LD 935, An Act to Remove Barriers to Abortion Coverage in Private Insurance

    This law ensures that Mainers can afford abortion cared by removing financial barriers and prohibiting health plans in Maine from imposing any deductible, copayment, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing requirement for abortion services.
    Governor Mills Called for Passage of a Reproductive Rights Amendment
    July 17, 2024

    Governor Mills Called for Passage of a Reproductive Rights Amendment

    In testimony submitted to the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary on the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Governor Mills called for the passage of a Reproductive Rights Amendment that would enshrine the right to reproductive autonomy in the Maine Constitution.
    LD 616, An Act to Protect Health Care Professionals Providing Reproductive Health Care Services
    July 17, 2024

    LD 616, An Act to Protect Health Care Professionals Providing Reproductive Health Care Services

    This law, consistent with Governor Mills’ 2022 Executive Order, strengthens protections for healthcare providers so that they may offer care to people traveling to Maine for abortion care. It prohibits an insurer that provides medical malpractice insurance in Maine from discriminating or taking any adverse action against a healthcare professional who provides abortion or other reproductive healthcare services on the sole basis that the healthcare professional is acting in violation of another state’s law or is subject to an adverse action against the healthcare professional’s license in another state.
    LD 263, An Act to Ensure Access to Family Planning Services
    July 17, 2024

    LD 263, An Act to Ensure Access to Family Planning Services

    This bill, signed and supported by Governor Mills, addresses the potential loss of access to abortion that can arise from the consolidation and merger between healthcare providers by requiring a close review of proposed takeovers or transfers of ownership during the Certificate of Need process in order to ensure that access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health services remains intact, affordable, and reliable.
    LD 227, An Act Regarding Legally Protected Health Care Activity in the State
    July 17, 2024

    LD 227, An Act Regarding Legally Protected Health Care Activity in the State

    This law, signed and supported by Governor Mills, protects providers and patients from hostile laws enacted in other states and ensures that access to gender-affirming and reproductive care can continue consistent with Maine’s laws. It does this by ensuring resources in the state are not used to further hostile litigation from other states; creating a civil right of action to respond to litigation filed by other states against Maine health care providers; protecting providers’ personal contact information; and enhancing protections for related to medical records being sought by states where reproductive and gender-affirming health care is banned.

    IN THE NEWS

  • See More
    • Advocates praise passage, signing of shield law that will protect Maine providers of reproductive care and care for transgender people from out-of-state attacks
  • Planned Parenthood
    •  April 23, 2024

    Advocates praise passage, signing of shield law that will protect Maine providers of reproductive care and care for transgender people from out-of-state attacks

    Governor Janet Mills has signed into law a bill that will protect Maine’s providers of reproductive care and care for transgender people from out-of-state attacks. The measure, LD 227, was approved by the legislature on April 12 and will take effect in mid-July.
    Gov. Janet Mills introduces bill to expand abortion rights in Maine
  • WMTW
    •  April 13, 2023

    Gov. Janet Mills introduces bill to expand abortion rights in Maine

    Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills has formally introduced a bill to expand reproductive rights for women and access to abortion services in the state, allowing for abortions later in pregnancy beyond the point of fetal viability.

    Previous State

    Kentucky

    Governor Andy Beshear

    Next State

    Maryland

    Governor Wes Moore