Support SB890 - Abortion Care Access Act
SB890 is one of the bills on our 2022 Agenda and will be heard today in the Senate Finance Committee. Please take action as described below to support this important legislation. We have included contact information for the committee members at the bottom for your convenience.
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HB890- Abortion Care Access Act seeks to protect and increase access to affordable abortion care in Maryland. In 1991, the Maryland General Assembly codified the legal right to abortion, as provided by Roe v Wade. Senate Bill 162 became a ballot measure and went into effect after Marylanders overwhelming supported the measure with 62% of the vote. Maryland is now considered a safe state for abortion rights even if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade.
The current question for pro-choice Marylanders is: Does the right to an abortion mean women can access abortion care? Unfortunately, no. Even in states like Maryland, access is being chipped away by a shortage of trained providers, poor insurance coverage, and anti-abortion rules imposed at the federal level every time there is a shift in power. Abortion access is not safe in Maryland- only 7 of 24 Maryland jurisdictions currently have an abortion care provider. With Texas effectively overturning Roe within its borders and at least 17 other states on the brink of total bans on abortion, Maryland needs to be ready. Women in Maryland need us to protect abortion access, and so do the women who will soon by forced to travel hundreds of miles for health care.
The bill recognizes that advanced practice clinicians - nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives/certified midwives, and physician assistants - are qualified to provide abortion care. These clinicians are the key to ensuring access to abortion care in every region of the state. The bill also provides state support for clinical training in abortion care. Health care professionals will be able to get the training they need – including health care practitioners graduating from programs in states that ban abortion. In addition, it strengthens and streamlines insurance coverage for abortion care.
Communities of color are particularly impacted by limitations on abortion access. As we know, significant racial and ethnic disparities persist for a wide range of health outcomes, from diabetes to heart disease to breast and cervical cancer to sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV. This is also true for unintended pregnancies. Unnecessary barriers to abortion care increase costs and wait times, further exacerbating existing health disparities and economic injustices. This legislation eliminates unnecessary barriers and will make health care more accessible and affordable.
Please contact members of the Senate Finance Committee TODAY to urge their support for SB890.
Your message: "Hello. I am a supporter of the Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women. I am emailing (calling) today to urge you to vote in support of SB890 - Abortion Care Access Act."
Here are the email addresses for the Senate Finance Committee members that you can cut and paste into your email application:
If you are able to call the Committee members, you can access their phone numbers here on the Finance Committee page of the Maryland General Assembly website. Regardless of the method you choose, please take action today!
