For years, the month of January meant three constants in my life: a new year with new priorities, the beginning of the next legislative session, and the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the case that, until it was overturned by six U.S. Supreme Court judges in June 2022, guaranteed access to safe and legal abortion.

Since that Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. has lost their reproductive rights and access to essential health care. Politically motivated attacks continue to assault the very idea of reproductive autonomy, seeking to take away everything from FDA-approved medication abortion to access to birth control to the ability to pursue gender-affirming care.

In my role as interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England – the largest reproductive and sexual health care provider across Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont – I am keenly aware of the responsibility we shoulder. Our clinics and advocacy efforts operate in a dwindling number of states where rights to abortion and related care are still standing. It is our duty to not only fight to protect and expand access to care, but to act as a beacon of light in these dark times for all the patients who need us.

In Maine, voters elected reproductive rights champions to safeguard and expand access to essential reproductive health care after Dobbs. Last session, Gov. Janet Mills and most state lawmakers championed legislation that does that. Because lawmakers listened to patients, providers, faith leaders and Mainers from all walks of life, Maine stands as an example of what it means to meet a moment with proactive legislation that is aligned with medical best practices, the will of Maine voters and Maine values.

Now, our elected leaders have another opportunity to show they understand what’s still at stake and give Maine voters the right to weigh in on one of the most important issues of our time. On Monday, the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on L.D. 780, a bill sponsored by Sen. Eloise Vitelli that seeks to explicitly enshrine the right to reproductive autonomy in our state’s constitution.

Across the country, voters have affirmed their support for reproductive freedoms and rejected attempts to take them away. Voters in California, Michigan, Ohio and Vermont have overwhelmingly passed constitutional amendments enshrining reproductive rights. Mainers deserve the same opportunity to make their voices heard.

Our constitutional amendment process differs from other states – here, a supermajority of lawmakers in the House and Senate must vote to pass a proposed amendment for it to go to voters in the next election. This means that right now, our 151 elected state senators and representatives will decide whether to permit or deny Mainers the chance to voice their opinion on the future of reproductive rights in our state.

Monday’s public hearing for L.D. 780 is also the day that would be the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

It is not lost on me that this case was originally decided and overturned by a handful of judges – judges whose opinions impact millions of people, many of whom struggle to have their own voices and experiences heard and seen. And now, Mainers’ ability to have a direct say on the future of reproductive autonomy lies in the hands of politicians.