Hundreds gathered outside the federal court house in Portland Tuesday evening to protest the potential that the Supreme Court could overturn the abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade.
Among them was Bella Tynski, 23, who wore the red dress and white bonnet featured in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” She held a sign that said “I don’t regret my abortion. It saved my life.”
“Every day I wake up and America feels more like Gilead,” she said, referring to the fictional town. “When I heard the news this morning, I felt a little broken and I wanted to do something.”
She was joined by mothers with young children and older women and men who have been through the battle for abortion rights before. They held signs that said “Protect Safe, Legal Abortion,” “Abortion is health care,” and “Forced birth is violence.”
“We need to continue to elect leaders who aren’t afraid to say the following,” Victoria Pelletier, a Portland City councilor, told the crowd. “Abortion is normal. Abortion is health care. Abortion is a part of our community.”
The rally followed the Monday bombshell leak by POLITICO that a Supreme Court majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito could overturn Roe v. Wade. The court confirmed Tuesday that the document is authentic, but said it could be altered before it is officially released in the coming weeks.
Nicole Clegg of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England told the rally crowd that they’ve been preparing for this decision for nearly a year. They’ve spoken with clinicians to help prepare them for the influx of women from other states who will come to Maine to get access to safe, legal abortions, she said. That’s because women in 19 to 26 states will lose access to abortions if the decision is rendered.
“Last night shouldn’t have been a surprise,” she said. “Yet here we are. And now we really need to do something.”
If the court issues the opinion, it’s likely to become a major focus of fall political campaigns in Maine and around the country. Mainers will decide in November which party will control the state Legislature and who will serve in the governor’s office.
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who is seeking a second term, said in a statement that as long as she’s governor, she will protect the right to abortion in Maine. Her opponent, former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican, said he supports some limits on abortions and that although Maine’s current law prohibits an abortion beyond viability, the state should keep “pace with modern, medical technology.”
The case before the Supreme Court comes from Mississippi, where lawmakers passed a bill banning most abortions after 15 weeks.
In response to the leaked draft, Republican Sen. Susan Collins issued a statement saying the decision was “completely inconsistent” with what justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch told her in private meetings and in public hearings.
At the Portland rally, the crowd chanted “get her out” and “it’s her fault” when Collins’ name was mentioned. Clegg urged the crowd to call Collins’ office and “ask what is she going to do?”
“We need our U.S. senator to take action, to do something,” she said, adding that there will be a National Day of Action May 14 to organize abortion supporters.