Gov. Moore: Maryland will be a "safe haven for abortion rights"
BALTIMORE -- Maryland lawmakers are making a major move toward ensuring that reproductive rights are permanent—starting with a constitutional amendment.
On his second day in office, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced that he was releasing $3.5 million in state funds for abortion training.
Moore said in a press conference on Thursday that Maryland will be a "safe haven for abortion rights" and introduced a comprehensive reproductive rights legislative package.
"We are going to make sure that Maryland is a safe haven for abortion rights long after I am governor of this state," Moore said.
Governor Wes Moore announced his support for four bills heading to the floor to protect abortion access, privacy and out of state patients—including a proposed amendment to enshrine reproductive rights into Maryland's constitution.
"In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade it is the only way to ensure that the rights of future generations of Marylanders are protected," Moore said.
House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D- District 10) noted that reproductive care "must be a right enshrined" in Maryland's constitution "so it can never be up for debate or used as a bargaining chip."
The 2023 reproductive health protection package includes a bill that protects patients, providers, and people supporting out-of-state patients from legal actions from restrictive states.
Another bill in the package provides additional privacy protections for medical records of out-of-state patients seeking reproductive care in Maryland.
House Delegate Ariana Kelly (D-District 16), said she had noticed an increase in the patient load for some of providers, particularly providers that border West Virginia.
The package also includes legislation to ensure students at colleges and universities in Maryland have access to reproductive care.
The House Republican Caucus responded in a statement saying the constitutional amendment is not necessary.
"We believe that most Marylanders would prefer a middle course on this issue and permitting late-term elective abortions—as this amendment appears to allow—is outside the mainstream views of our citizens," the caucus said in a statement.
Democrats would need a three-fifths vote in both chambers to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot for Marylanders to make the final decision next year.
