Maryland lawmakers overrode Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto this weekend to enact one of the state’s most sweeping expansions of abortion access in decades.
The measure permits non-physicians, such as nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants, to perform the controversial procedure, and it mandates most health insurance plans foot the bill without “a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement.”
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“Thank you so much to my House colleagues for voting to override the Governor’s veto on my legislation to protect our public health officials from undue political influence. It is imperative that we guide our policy by science,” Democratic House Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk, who sponsored the bill, tweeted on Saturday.
The state House voted 29-to-15, and the state Senate voted 90-to-46 to override him Saturday. Now, the law is slated to take effect on July 1. Democrats have solid majorities in both chambers of the Legislature and have previously overrode the Republican governor’s vetoes on various issues.
Hogan, who previously pledged not to take action that would affect reproductive rights in state law, vetoed the Abortion Care Access Act on Friday. He cited concerns that lowering the standards for who performs an abortion “endangers” women’s health.
“The bill risks lowering the high standard of reproductive healthcare services received by women in Maryland. These procedures are complex and can, and often do, result in significant medical complications that require the attention of a licensed physician,” Hogan warned in his veto.
Maryland will provide $3.5 million a year in funding to train medical professionals on how to conduct an abortion procedure, per the bill. The state will contract an organization to provide the training through the Abortion Care Clinical Training Program, and the Maryland Health Department is prohibited from disclosing its participants.
When it comes to minors, the law mostly requires abortion providers to give notice to a parent or guardian, with exceptions for instances in which the minor could suffer abuse from their parents or professionals were unable to get in touch with them.
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The legislation comes when the Supreme Court is looking to revisit abortion precedents in its upcoming decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. States across the country have been adjusting their abortion policies in anticipation of the high court nixing precedents that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion access.
Currently, Maryland has abortion rights codified into law. Upwards of 70% of Maryland’s counties lack abortion providers, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
