10-23-2022 W2W - Flipbook - Page 34
Karen J. Nelson, executive director of Planned Parenthood of Maryland, speaks at a rally on War Memorial Plaza in support of abortion access on May 14.
PHOTOS BY KIM HAIRSTON
referendum in 1992.
“Thirty years ago, we had a statewide referendum.
That’s when complacency settled in,” Kelly said. “The
world has changed in 30 years.”
With Roe vanquished, abortion opponents say even a
state like Maryland could be in for change.
Laura Bogley, director of legislation for Maryland
Right to Life, calls the proposed amendment “radical”
and questions how it can fly after the Supreme Court
removed the constitutional protection of Roe.
“Of course the constitution of the state of Maryland
defers to the U.S. Constitution,” she said.
Bogley said that while abortion remains legal in Maryland, and Democrats retain a majority in the General
Assembly, she senses “a cultural shift.” While polls such as
one conducted by Baltimore Sun Media and the University of Baltimore in June generally show about two-thirds
of people support keeping abortion legal at least under
certain circumstances, Bogley said opinions are more
nuanced than that.
She said polling of younger voters done by a research
group, the Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, found that
the majority favor limits to when abortions are allowed
and when public funds can be spent on them.
If there’s one thing that both sides can agree on, it’s that
the November election is critical.
“Elections matter,” said Karen J. Nelson, president and
CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland.
34 | 2022 | WOMEN TO WATCH
While abortion remains legal
in Maryland, those on both
sides of the debate see the
end of Roe as creating a new
political landscape.
Michele Hendrickson, strategic initiatives director for Students for Life, at Millard Cooper Park.
“People say, ‘Oh we’re so lucky to live in Maryland,’”
she said. “It’s not luck, it’s hard work.
“It’s hard work to elect and keep people in office that
represent what is best for health care, what is best for
abortion rights, what is best for women.”
Hendrickson said Students for Life will participate in
voter education and get-out-the-vote efforts.
The organization, which has groups in middle- and
high schools and college campuses, promotes alternatives to abortion and support for women who choose to
continue their pregnancies, she said. Such services are
more important than ever, Hendrickson said.
“We have to be there for women,” she said.
With some states banning or restricting abortion in the
wake of the Supreme Court decision, activists on both
sides are preparing for an influx of out-of-state women
coming to Maryland — something Bogley decries as
“abortion tourism.”
Nelson said it’s too soon to gauge how much more
demand the state will see for the procedure.
“We are watching the states around us,” Nelson said.
“The picture changes every day.”
In recent years, the group has worked to expand its
clinics and ramp up staff. The Baltimore Abortion Fund,
which helps women with transportation and other costs