Sen. Hickman earns perfect score for voting record to protect reproductive rights

AUGUSTA – Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, earned a perfect score from Planned Parenthood Maine for protecting reproductive rights and access to health care for Mainers. Sen. Hickman is one of 22 senators to earn a perfect score for their 2021 voting record from Planned Parenthood Maine.

“I fundamentally believe that the government should not stand between people and their health care providers. Abortion is a deeply personal and often painful decision. As my mother, who was as pro-life as anybody I know, would often say, an abortion is between a woman, her doctor and her God,” said Sen. Hickman. “I am honored to have received a perfect score from Planned Parenthood Maine and will always fight to protective reproductive freedom.”

Planned Parenthood scored Maine legislators on their votes on six bills that sought to undermine access to abortion in the state. One of the proposals rejected by lawmakers advocated for a practice that is medically dangerous and – in some cases – life-threatening to the patient.

This session, Sen. Hickman voted down bills that sought to threaten, undermine or interfere with access to safe, quality reproductive health care. He has advocated for all Maine people to be able to live, work and make decisions about their health care. When people are able to make their own decisions about their reproductive health care they have more control over their economic security. Abortion services are health care and health care is a human right.

Despite overwhelming public support for abortion access across the country, states enacted more than 100 abortion restrictions in a single year, including the draconian Texas abortion ban. Although Maine Legislature debated similar proposal, state lawmakers stood together to reject harmful proposals and protect Mainers’ access to abortion and reproductive health care.

Planned Parenthood provides reproductive and other health care services, including abortion care, immunizations and cancer screenings.

The complete Maine Senate legislative scorecard can be found here.