Legislation to create a “fundamental right” to abort unborn babies advanced in the Maryland House on Wednesday despite a flood of opposition from state residents.
WYPR Baltimore reports the House likely will vote on final passage of the constitutional amendment, House Bill 705, later this week and send it to the state Senate for consideration.
Maryland already allows unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to birth, but the proposed constitutional amendment would make it more difficult for future state legislatures to pass any protections for unborn babies and mothers against abortion.
If the legislature passes the amendment and voters approve it on the 2024 ballot, the Maryland Constitution would include a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” including abortion, and ban state from “denying, burdening or abridging” that right.
Maryland Right to Life already has witnessed a flood of opposition to the bill, noting a record-breaking 5,253 messages to lawmakers in just one day at the end of February. Then, on Feb. 27, more than 1,000 pro-life advocates gathered in the rain in Annapolis for a rally urging lawmakers to protect unborn babies.
Laura Bogley, executive director of Maryland Right to Life, urged lawmakers to reject the bill during a state Health and Government Operations Committee hearing Feb. 21, saying Americans’ “unalienable right to life” includes unborn babies.
“This bill is not about protecting a woman’s right to choose abortion,” Bogley said. “This bill is about protecting the profits of the multi-billion dollar abortion empire at the expense of women’s health and safety.”
ACTION ALERT: To oppoe this radical pro-abortion legislation, Contact Maryland House lawmakers.
Republican House lawmakers tried to amend the bill Tuesday in an effort to add at least some protections for unborn babies and mothers, but none passed, according to the report. Democrat lawmakers insisted that the state constitution must recognize a “fundamental right” to abortion.
“This bill is about the right of a woman to make the fundamental decision about her own pregnancy,” said state Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk, D-Prince George’s County. “This bill is about giving Marylanders the decision about the fundamental right of reproductive freedom [and] should it be enshrined in our state constitution. It is the highest level of protection we can give.”
The state Senate also is considering a version of the bill, Senate Bill 798. Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers.
Maryland allows unborn babies to be aborted for any reason up to birth, and is home to at least two late-term abortion facilities. It allows nurse practitioners and midwives to abort unborn babies and allows underage girls to get abortions without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
In January, Gov. Wes Moore used one of his first acts as governor to approve $3.5 million in taxpayer dollars to train more abortionists. Last year, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, refused to approve the funding.
Maryland does not report its abortion numbers to the Centers for Disease Control, so it is not clear exactly how many unborn babies are killed there every year. Johnstons Archive reported an estimated 30,750 abortions in 2020 based on research from the Guttmacher Institute.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that there is no constitutional right to abortion in June, the pro-abortion movement has been trying to create a “right” to abort unborn babies in state constitutions through ballot initiatives. Vermont, California and Michigan passed pro-abortion constitutional amendments in November, and abortion activists are trying to advance similar measures in other states.
Several states have pro-life constitutional amendments that voters passed in recent years, including Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and West Virginia.
Currently, 14 states are enforcing pro-life laws that prohibit or strictly limit the killing of unborn babies in abortions, and others are fighting in court to do the same. Pro-life leaders estimate tens of thousands of babies’ lives have been saved since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June.
Polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans support legal protections for unborn babies, especially after the first trimester or once their heartbeat is detectable.
ACTION ALERT: To oppoe this radical pro-abortion legislation, Contact Maryland House lawmakers.
