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Maryland Governor Larry Hogan‘s veto of a measure to expand access to abortion in the state was overridden on Saturday by the General Assembly, which Democrats control.
House Bill 937, titled the Abortion Care Access Act, was overridden in the House of Delegates by a vote of 90-46, and in the Senate by a vote of 29-15.
The bill will expand who can perform abortions in the state to include nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants.
It will also provide $3.5 million in financial support to train health care professionals to offer reproductive services. The bill will also make the state’s existing abortion care coverage under Medicaid permanent, and require private health insurance plans — with exceptions for those with religious or legal exemptions — to cover abortion care without cost-sharing or deductibles.
In a veto letter, Hogan said the bill “endangers the health and lives of women by allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.”
On the floor of the House, Minority Leader Haven Shoemaker (R-Carroll) called the bill the “most radical expansion of abortion in Maryland’s history in a state that already has some of the most liberal abortion laws in the country.”
Del. Emily Shetty (D-Montgomery) pushed back and said the only examples offered by anti-abortion delegates on the floor were themselves radical arguments.
“It is not radical to provide health care when people need it,” she said.
The bill comes at a time when many states are moving to either restrict or expand access to abortions. In addition, the Supreme Court is currently weighing whether to outright overturn Roe v. Wade this summer in a case brought by the state of Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
If they do, dozens of states are likely to ban abortion or have strict laws limiting access.
“In this context, it’s very important that we keep in mind that the strategies that this bill is using is ensuring that people can access the care that they need, when they need it, no matter what happens with the rest of the country — no matter what happens with the Supreme Court,” said Del. Ariana Kelly, a Democrat who was the lead sponsor of the bill, said.
The Abortion Care Access Act will take effect on July 1.
