George Hill is president and CEO of Maine Family Planning. Nicole Clegg is president and chief executive officer at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022—sweeping away the federal constitutional right to abortion—the dissenting justices predicted widespread repercussions. 

They warned that without the protection of Roe, states would prosecute people for having abortions, attack providers in states where abortion is legal, try to intervene when people travel to receive abortion medications from other states, and make abortion care less accessible overall.

Sadly, their fears were prescient. Absent federal protections for abortion care, Republicans in Congress and the Trump Administration are free to target abortion providers, including using HR1, the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” to bar certain reproductive care providers from receiving federal Medicaid funds for non-abortion services like birth control and cancer screenings.

Why? Because we provide abortion care. It’s a simple case of federal financial blackmail. If we continue providing abortion care, the federal government won’t reimburse us for non-abortion-related services we provide. 

These cuts directly attack communities in Maine, where we are the backbone of care. Our organizations rely on Medicaid funding to treat many patients with low incomes who seek cancer screenings, chronic disease management, contraception, STI testing and treatment, and annual wellness exams. In other words, Medicaid helps us provide these patients essential, often lifesaving health care.

At Maine Family Planning (MFP), the cuts mean a loss of $2 million, which represents 20% of our budget, as half of our patients are covered by Medicaid. We had no choice but to sacrifice access to primary care for hundreds of patients to save abortion care and keep all our 18 clinic doors open.

At Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, we lost over $900,000 in payments for services provided to 24 percent of our patient base.

Together, we are doing all we can to mitigate the impact on patients by staying true to our values. Everyone, regardless of income, is entitled to judgment-free, high-quality care, including abortion care.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe was one step towards banning abortion
nationwide. It cleared the path for Congress to implement the provision in HR1 that’s forced health centers in other states to close and MFP to end primary care services. It has made access to essential health care more difficult for Mainers and puts our ability to provide this care long- term at risk.

Not every provider accepts Medicaid, and patients who may be able to access care from another provider will face significant delays, longer travel distances, increased wait times, and higher costs in Maine’s already overstretched health care system.

Given the shortage of providers in our rural state, it is cruel and senseless for Congress to punish Mainers by denying them access to care from trusted health providers like us. We are often the only health care provider our patients see in a year.

For our part, we will not compromise care for our patients. In the year since President Trump took office, we have endured countless attacks. Anti-abortion groups and politicians are singularly focused on shutting down providers who legally and safely provide abortion care.

Through it all, we have remained true to our values and our missions of providing care to all, regardless of the circumstances. Our doors remain open. We welcome patients insured by Medicaid, though we are not being paid for the services, because we know we are the only option for thousands of Mainers.

We believe that everyone deserves access to the care they need, when they need it. It is the right thing to do, no matter the pressure put on us by Republicans in Congress and President Trump. We will not abandon our patients.

Push us, and we’ll push back — with the help of our elected leaders in Augusta and the nearly 80% of Mainers who support access to abortion — by continuing to provide the care our patients need and deserve. That will always be our north star.