As the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision--which overturned Roe v. Wade--approaches, considerable attention has been placed on what states have restricted or banned the abortion procedure. A handful of other states, though, have gone radically in the other direction, as they seek to make abortion available on demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy, without any legal limit.
That California and New York liberalized their abortion laws is hardly any surprise, especially after Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) made it clear he wanted his state to be a "sanctuary" for abortion and surgical procedures on minors who may be experiencing gender dysphoria. They're not the only ones, though, with states like Colorado, Illinois, Maine, and Minnesota also on the radar, especially when it comes to the dangerous precedents they could set for the country a year after the Dobbs decision.
Even before the Dobbs decision, Colorado was one of a handful of states--plus Washington, D.C.--that allowed for abortion up until birth for any reason without legal limit. This so-called "right" was also enshrined into state law there in April of last year. Last July, though, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order to make his state even more radically pro-abortion, as it dictated Colorado would not cooperate with abortion investigations from other states.
As if that weren't enough, Polis signed a law in April that made Colorado a "safe haven" for women to get abortions from other states, as well as those who want to travel to the state to get what supporters call "gender-affirming care." In reality, such "care" involves hormone therapy that comes with health problems and puberty blockers, as well as medical procedures that involve sterilization and genital mutilation.
Like other radically pro-abortion Democrats, Colorado also targets pro-life pregnancy resource centers by prohibiting them from using "deceptive practices," as the argument goes that women may be duped into thinking such resource centers provide abortions.
Those life-saving pregnancy centers are also being targeted in Illinois, where the Reproductive Health Act was signed into law in 2019. They also did away with parental notification when it comes to minors getting abortions in June of last year. A new concern, though, is that Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul will have the authority to target and shut down such centers if his office deems they are engaging in or even just about to engage in "deceptive acts or practices."
The penalties involve "preliminary or permanent injunction and a civil penalty not to exceed $50,000." And, "any party aggrieved" is allowed to bring an action. These centers are non-profit and many are religious organizations. They may also be run by volunteers or through donations.
The measure was just earlier on Friday sent to rabidly pro-abortion Gov. JB Pritzker. If he signs it, the bill is "Effective immediately."
Maine is also looking to go about adding an amendment to the state's constitution that would protect the "right to bodily autonomy," including but not merely limited to abortion. As the Portland Press Herald put it, still using the offense term of "unwanted pregnancy," the amendment would:
It has been referred to as the abortion amendment, but to its sponsor, enshrining an individual's right to bodily autonomy in the Maine Constitution would protect much more than a woman's right to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
...
[Sen. Craig Hickman's] proposed amendment could protect someone from unwanted vaccinations, for example. It might help protect someone from being involuntarily committed. It could give trafficking victims the legal standing to sue the person who trafficked them in civil court.
Ultimately, all those questions would be left for the courts to decide.
It has largely gone under the radar though, as the report also mentioned:
Lawmakers debated these what-if scenarios during a public hearing Friday in a mostly empty committee room. One person testified against the proposed amendment. In contrast, hundreds showed up two weeks ago to oppose Gov. Janet Mills' later-in-pregnancy abortion bill.
"While I strongly believe in personal freedom and bodily rights, the intent of the bill is quite the opposite, it's a little vague," said Jonathan Martell, a Sanford city councilor. "This bill may be used to further abortion, and child mutilation or transition, whatever you want to call it."
The amendment would have to pass through the legislature by a two-thirds vote and then would need approval from the people of the state.
Last but not least is Minnesota, which has seen a rapid and unfortunate shift to the deep left, including and especially when it comes to abortion and transgender issues. In late April, the state's Democratic Gov. Tim Walz signed a series of bills, among them those that would protect women coming to Minnesota from out-of-state for abortions. Another applies to minors from out-of-state seeking medical procedures who may have gender dysphoria, though again, such procedures involve genital mutilation and sterilization. This comes after abortion was codified as a "fundamental right" into state law in late January of this year.
As Madeline reported just earlier this week, the Minneapolis School District held a "Gender Resource Fair" in April for elementary-school-aged children, even though they knew it would face backlash.
Concerns have also been raised that teachers opposed to--due to religious beliefs--using the preferred pronouns of children, would be unable to apply to teach at public schools in Minnesota due to new teacher licensing rules.
These recent pushes come as the media is preoccupied with how pro-life Republicans are handling the issue. This applies merely at the state level, but with the upcoming Republican presidential primary, in the midst of the White House playing coy on how President Joe Biden supports abortion up until birth throughout the country without legal limit.
On Wednesday, The Washington Post's editorial board published, "7 abortion questions every presidential candidate needs to answer." While it mostly stuck to Republican candidates, it did call upon Biden to clarify his views as well.
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