Left-wing activists launched a campaign on Monday for an amendment that would enshrine the “right” to kill the unborn in Maryland’s Constitution.
Members of the Freedom in Reproduction Maryland ballot committee announced the effort in front of the state Capitol on the 51st anniversary of the Supreme Court’s now-defunct 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which had invented the constitutional “right” to abortion. The committee, which will fundraise to pay for advertising and voter outreach efforts, is comprised of activists who have worked with abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood Maryland, the Baltimore Abortion Fund, and the Women’s Law Center of Maryland, according to The Baltimore Banner.
There is already no limit on abortion in Maryland, although parental notice is required for minors to get abortions.
“If we vote ‘yes’ on reproductive freedom, our rights will be protected well into the future, no matter who’s in office, but if we fall short, if we don’t get it done, I promise there’s always going to be someone out there looking to turn back the clock,” Maryland first lady Dawn Moore said at a news conference.
Maryland lawmakers voted in March of 2023 to place an abortion ballot measure in front of voters in November of 2024. Maryland is notably comprised of more Democrat voters than Republicans 2-1. A simple majority of voters need to approve it for it to pass.
The language of the amendment states:
That every person, as a central component of an individual’s rights to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy. The state may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling state interest achieved by the least restrictive means.
A ballot committee opposed to the proposed constitutional amendment, called Health Not Harm MD, has also launched. The committee describes itself on its website as a “coalition of concerned parents, health and medical experts, nonprofit organizations and faith leaders from across Maryland focused on ensuring that radical out-of-state organizations aren’t able to rewrite our constitution to impose one of the most extreme laws in the country on Maryland families for their own financial gain.” The committee is chaired by Deborah L. Brocato, a former nurse and registered lobbyist for Maryland Right to Life, the Banner reported.
The committee is arguing that the amendment would “eliminate basic health and safety regulations that exist to protect women and children,” and “abolish parental notification and consent requirements, which protect minor children from predatory practices,’ among other concerns.
“It’s just too vague and it should not apply to minor children,” Brocato told the Banner.
Activists in several other states are working to put abortion amendments on the ballot in 2024 after a string of state-level pro-abortion victories following the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.