The Maryland Catholic Conference is opposing measures being considered by the state’s lawmakers that run counter to the Church’s call to respect life from the moment of conception to natural death.

Maryland’s House and Senate are considering bills that would among other things enshrine abortion as a right guaranteed by the state’s constitution and legalize physician assisted suicide in the state.

A package of four “reproductive freedom” bills introduced Feb. 9 in the Maryland General Assembly that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said would make the state “a safe haven for abortion access,” has been criticized by the MCC as unresponsive to the needs of women.

“Abortion bills being introduced by state legislators aren’t responding to the needs of Maryland women,” the MCC said in a statement. “Maryland women want support and they want individuals to hear their stories, understand their struggles and provide them with opportunities to achieve their dreams and raise their children.”

The four bills include:

• HB705/SB798 allowing for a ballot measure “to constitutionally enshrine the rights of Marylanders to reproductive freedom.” 

• HB808/SB859 protecting patients, abortion providers, and people supporting out-of-state patients seeking abortions in Maryland from criminal, civil, and administrative actions from “restrictive states.”

• HB477/SB341 requiring public higher education institutions to “develop reproductive health access plans to provide or refer for the full range of reproductive health and wrap-around support services” and would require campuses to provide 24-hour access to contraceptives. 

• HB812/SB786 providing privacy protections for medical records to reduce the risk of criminal prosecution or civil litigation for out-of-state patients seeking reproductive care in Maryland.  

At a Feb. 9 press conference in Annapolis announcing the four bills, Maryland House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-District 10) said, “Enshrining reproductive rights in our constitution … not only underscores our commitment to protecting reproductive freedom but makes Maryland a safe haven for reproductive liberty.”   

In its statement, the MCC noted, “A proposed constitutional amendment that would enshrine abortion as a right, for example, would do absolutely nothing to change abortion availability because Maryland already has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the nation.”

The MCC statement also pointed out that “Maryland is one of very few states that has no mandated abortion reporting… We call upon leadership to support legislation that will track, at the minimum, the number of Maryland abortions, age of mother, weeks of pregnancy and type of abortion.”

The introduction of the bills in Maryland follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision last June that overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the determination of the legality of abortion to individual states.

The MCC noted that “abortion without alternatives is reproductive coercion.”

“National polling shows that a majority Latinas and African Americans support restrictions, not expansion, of abortion,” the statement said. “In a state where we rightfully are concerned about racial and economic inequities, we need to respond to these women and ensure that they have access to the basic necessities they need to survive and thrive, not pressure to abort due to economic, education and other circumstances.”

A measure (SB845) introduced in the Maryland Senate on Feb. 7 and another (HB933)

in the Maryland House would legalize physician assisted suicide in the state. Similar measures have been introduced – and failed – in previous sessions of the General Assembly.

“The proposal is the same dangerous, misguided policy that has failed repeatedly in Maryland,” said a statement by the group Maryland Against Physician Assisted Suicide.

Maryland Against Physician Assisted Suicide (MAPAS), a nonpartisan coalition of health care professionals, disability rights advocates, mental health professionals, advocates for seniors, and members of faith communities, including the MCC, was organized in opposition to legislation that would legalize physician-assisted suicide in Maryland.

“Physician-assisted suicide is a dangerous proposition for Maryland, and there is significant concern among the community of health professionals with the harmful implications of legalizing this unethical practice,” said MAPAS member Dr. Joseph Marine, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

He said if passed, the bill “will damage trust between doctors and patients and harm the culture of caring that we strive for.”

“I am concerned that patients will gradually see assisted suicide evolve from a ‘choice’ into an expectation,” he said. “There is evidence that insurance companies have declined coverage of life-extending treatments for patients in states where PAS is legal and instead approved coverage for these cheaper, experimental, non-FDA approved drug overdoses that end a patient’s life.”

In addition to addressing those pro-life issues, the MCC will host a virtual town hall meeting on Monday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. on how to curb gun violence in Maryland. The town hall can be viewed live on Facebook and via www.mdcatholic.org/stopviolence.

Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, State Sen. Jill P. Carter (D- District 41) and Del. Luke Clippinger (D-District 46) will be joined by Dr. Thomas M. Scalea, physician-in-chief, shock trauma, at the University of Maryland Medical Center, and Myles Hicks, deputy legislative officer for the Office of the Governor.

The panelists will discuss the impact gun violence is having on Maryland communities and how legislators are working with advocates and faith leaders to find meaningful solutions in Annapolis this legislative session.

The MCC is the public policy arm of the two Catholic archdioceses and one diocese that encompass the state – the Archdiocese of Baltimore; The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, which includes five Maryland counties surrounding the nation’s capital; and the Diocese of Wilmington, which includes counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

The Catholic Advocacy Network helps parishioners learn about the issues and provides an opportunity for constituents to be heard by their legislators, and last year, Maryland Catholics sent nearly 70,000 emails to lawmakers. Parishioners can join the Catholic Advocacy Network at mdcatholic.org/joincan; or texting MDCATHOLIC to 52886.

Maryland’s virtual Catholic Advocacy Day will be Feb. 15. The MCC will prepare alerts on critical issues. Visit mdcatholic.org/advocacyday for details.

Also, a March 2 rally for nonpublic schools – including Catholic schools, schools of other faith traditions and secular non-public schools – will be held in Annapolis. Participants will gather at the Knights of Columbus Hall at St. John Neumann Parish, and be bused to their legislators’ offices.

On March 9, a prayer vigil for life will be held at 7 p.m. at St. Mary’s Church near the capitol.