Gov: Maine won’t help prosecute abortion seekers, providers

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Maine will not cooperate with other states’ investigations into people who seek abortions or health care providers that perform them, the state’s governor said Tuesday.

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order that she said will protect access to abortion in her state. She said she made the order as a response to the Supreme Court’s ruling that overturned Roe V. Wade.

Mills said her order also directs Maine state agencies to review laws and regulations for any barriers to reproductive health care and remove or minimize them. She said she will use her authority to decline any extradition attempts from states that pursue criminal charges against people who receive or perform abortions.

Mills said she “will stand in the way of any effort to undermine, rollback, or outright eliminate the right to safe and legal abortion in Maine.”

Mills is seeking reelection against Republican former Gov. Paul LePage. LePage has said abortion affects “few Mainers” and has not made it a focus of his campaign.