Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a proclamation on January 17, formally certifying the state’s constitutional amendment that enshrines abortion as a fundamental right after voters overwhelmingly supported an abortion rights ballot initiative last November.
“Maryland made a clear choice,” Lieutenant Gov. Aruna Miller said in a statement. “I’m proud of our state for valuing self-determination and freedom, and for protecting future generations of women with a constitutional right to choose.”
The amendment, known as the “Reproductive Freedom Amendment,” received strong support, passing with over 74 percent of the vote, and affirms the right to reproductive freedoms, including the “ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.”
“Since day one of my administration, I have made clear my support for a woman’s right to choose,” Moore said in a statement. “In November, Marylanders voted overwhelmingly in favor of aligning Maryland’s constitution with our values. This amendment ensures that future generations of Marylanders will have the same reproductive rights Marylanders have today — no matter who is in office.”
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Maryland emerged as a leader in safeguarding reproductive rights. In his first year of office, Moore enacted a series of measures to strengthen reproductive rights, including signing a landmark legislative package, stockpiling reproductive health medications, and expanding contraceptive access.
In February 2024, Moore announced $15.6 million in funding to strengthen protections for reproductive freedoms. Of this amount, $10.6 million was allocated to the University of Maryland, Baltimore, to support the state’s Abortion Care Clinical Training Program and around $5 million was designated to increase Medicaid reimbursements for providers offering abortion care.
“Today is truly a historical day for Marylanders who care deeply about constitutional protections for bodily autonomy,” said Democratic Senate President Bill Ferguson. “Last year, Marylanders overwhelmingly affirmed an individual right to liberty and equality contains the fundamental right to reproductive freedom. Enshrining this freedom in the Maryland Constitution is the right thing to do now and for future generations.”
While Maryland has honored the will of its voters by enshrining the right to abortion in its constitution, other states have struggled to achieve similar outcomes despite the passage of abortion rights ballot initiatives in November.
For example, in Missouri, where no operational abortion clinics currently exist, two Planned Parenthood providers filed a lawsuit seeking to restore abortion access following the passage of Amendment 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative.
“Missourians have spoken and we’re ready to deliver,” Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a November statement. “There are many restrictions to challenge before access can be fully realized, but we’re proud to continue this fight to make sure everyone in this state can have the safe, legal abortion care they deserve. And soon, when Missourians ask where they can get care, we’ll have a simple answer: right here at home.”
Similarly, in Arizona, where voters also approved a measure to reinstate abortion access in November, the Center for Reproductive Rights and its partners had to file a lawsuit to ensure the restoration of the right to an abortion in the state. Clinics are currently awaiting a court decision to determine when they can resume offering abortion care.
“Arizonans voted overwhelmingly to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution,” Nancy Northup, the Center’s president and CEO, said in a statement in December. “We are going to court to challenge the state’s 15-week abortion ban and ensure that these constitutional rights are vindicated.”
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.