Maryland pro-life leaders fought a difficult battle to stop pro-abortion legislation from passing this spring.
And while one pro-abortion bill did become law, their efforts led to the defeat of two others in the state legislature.
The Maryland Coalition For Life marked the end of the state legislative session this week by thanking pro-lifers for their many “prayers, emails, phone calls, and visits to legislators” in opposition to the pro-abortion bills.
One bill, the Pregnant Person’s Freedom Act (House Bill 626/Senate Bill 669), would have legalized infanticide as well as continued to allow abortions up to birth in the state. However, pro-life leaders’ warnings about the extreme anti-life legislation quickly prompted massive outrage, and the sponsor withdrew the legislation.
A second victory was the defeat of state House Bill 1171, which aimed to create a right to abortion on demand in the Maryland Constitution.
“It is a testament to the tenacity of the pro-life community that we have been able to defend our state Constitution from radical attacks against the right to life in three of the past four legislative sessions,” Tony Martelli of Maryland Coalition For Life wrote in an email to supporters.
Despite their hard work, Maryland pro-lifers did suffer a defeat with the passage of the so-called Abortion Care Access Act, which allows nurse practitioners and midwives to abort unborn babies and dedicates $3.5 million tax dollars to train more abortionists in the state.
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Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed the bill, but pro-abortion Democrat lawmakers overrode his veto and passed the legislation anyway.
Maryland Right to Life Director of Legislation Laura Bogley said the reckless new law will harm women and girls as well as unborn babies.
“Women and girls will be trafficked here across state lines for unregulated abortion, subjecting them to greater risk of substandard care, injury and death,” Bogley said. “The abortion industry is only concerned with abortion remaining legal and lucrative. The state of Maryland has failed in its duty to ensure that abortion is both safe and rare.”
Still, Bogley said she felt encouraged by Maryland’s strong grassroots pro-life movement and the defeat of the two other bills.
“It is a testament to the tenacity of the pro-life community that we have been able to defend our state Constitution from radical attacks against the right to life in three of the past four legislative sessions,” she said. “The power to protect innocent human life must always reside with the people and not be held hostage by the courts.”
Maryland allows unborn babies to be aborted for basically any reason up to birth. The state does not require abortion facilities to report their abortion numbers, but Maryland Right to Life estimates nearly 30,000 unborn babies are aborted there every year.
