“Larry Hogan, Who Vetoed Abortion Bill, Claims He ‘Delivered’ on Abortion Access” [Jezebel]

Hogan vetoed proposal supported by medical experts to expand access to abortion

Republican Larry Hogan has claimed that he vetoed a bill to expand abortion access because it risked “lowering the high standard of reproductive health care,” but that excuse doesn’t hold water. According to new reporting in Jezebel, the 2022 bill to allow and train nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistants to provide abortion care was supported by medical experts, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Hogan, who was personally recruited by Mitch McConnell and promises to caucus with the GOP, could be the 51st seat Republicans need to ban abortion nationwide.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.

Jezebel: Larry Hogan, Who Vetoed Abortion Bill, Claims He ‘Delivered’ on Abortion Access

By Susan Rinkunas

October 14, 2024

• In April 2022, Hogan vetoed the Abortion Care Access Act, a bill that would have removed a restriction banning nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, and physician assistants from providing medication and procedural abortions. The bill also allocated funding to train these so-called advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to learn how to provide abortions. 
• Maryland was one of several blue states working to pass APC laws in 2022 as they awaited the Dobbs decision and anticipated an influx of abortion seekers from states with bans. 
• The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists supports training APCs: “Increasing the availability of trained clinicians who can provide abortion care will allow more patients to access quality health care in their own communities and enable patients to receive care more quickly.”
• Yet, in his veto statement, Hogan said that the bill risked “lowering the high standard of reproductive health care services received by women in Maryland.” The legislature overrode his veto, but that May, Hogan withheld the $3.5 million in funding from the state budget, effectively delaying the program for an entire year.
• [Hogan] accused Alsobrooks of lying while he misstated what the bill actually did… “It was allowing non-medical professionals, and for you to lie about something as important as this issue, it really is insulting,” Hogan said. 
• Nurses literally are medical professionals. Perhaps Hogan was trying to regurgitate the anti-abortion line that APC laws allow “non-doctors” to provide abortions.
• Alsobrooks pointed out that, while Hogan can say whatever he wants, there are consequences of sending another conservative to the chamber and handing Senate control to the party of Trump. “The fact of the matter is, there will be no vote on Roe if he gives the majority to the Republicans in the Senate,” she said. Alsobrooks, on the other hand, supports ending the Senate filibuster in order to codify abortion rights.
• Hogan further proved her point by dodging questions about whether he would have voted to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh or Justice Amy Coney Barrett… ‘I wasn’t there, and I don’t know how I would have voted,’ he said. A real profile in courage. Voting for Republican Senate candidates would not only block progress on abortion rights, it would likely rubber-stamp GOP nominees for the Supreme Court.

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