The late, great Charles Dickens wrote a “Tale of Two Cities” in 1859. It was set in two of the world’s greatest cities, London and Paris, before and during the French Revolution.
The opening sentence is among the greatest in all of literature:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”
As I reflect on the actions of this past week around our country, the actions of two women who both hold the position of Governor in their respective states, I could not help but think of the opening lines from Dickens’ work. Regarding these two women and the issue of abortion, it is certainly “the best of times and the worst of times.”
Since January 22, 1973 when the Roe v Wade decision was delivered by the Supreme Court of the United States, allowing the abortion of an innocent, unborn baby, the battle has raged to overturn the decision and end the endorsement of legal abortion by our nation’s government. The battle has ebbed and flowed over the last 46 years, but since the November 2018 elections, the effort to end abortion or to expand its access has burned white hot throughout the nation.
In Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey signed into law one of the nation’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws. The law effectively bans abortion in Alabama and severely penalizes any doctor who performs one.
Governor Ivey made the following comments after signing the bill. “Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, a bill that was approved by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.”
The Alabama Legislature and the Alabama Governor have taken a strong stand against the moral evil that plagues our nation. In the last 46 years, 61 million unborn babies have been aborted, often simply as a matter of convenience. The elected leaders of Alabama said, “No more” and took a strong stand for life – This is the best of times.
In contrast, Maine’s Governor, Janet Mills, has taken an entirely different approach to the issue of abortion. She is seeking to expand its access by forcing Maine taxpayers to fund it, force private insurers who offer maternity care to include abortion and to allow non-doctors to perform this medical procedure. While her proposal is not quite as radical as the one signed into law in the state of New York, it does dramatically alter current law in Maine.
I have known Janet Mills for over 20 years. Although I did not support her election for Governor, I have always had great respect for her. I knew she was pro-choice, but I had no idea just how radical she was on this issue. She did a good job of hiding her intentions on this issue during the election.
Mills is pushing that MaineCare pay for abortions. MaineCare is the Federal Medicaid program in Maine. MaineCare/Medicaid is a health insurance program for the impoverished that is paid for by a combination of Federal and State tax money.
Under Federal law, the Hyde Amendment precludes Federal money from being spent on abortions. What this effectively means is, Maine taxpayers will directly pay for abortions for women who are on MaineCare. Governor Mills has set aside $600,000 to pay for MaineCare abortion coverage.
While the bill in Maine, LD 820, is still working its way through the Maine Legislature as this piece is being written, it did pass the Maine Senate 19 Yes to 16 No, with two Democratic Senators joining all Republican Senators in voting No. – This is the worst of times.
Ray Richardson is the host of the Ray Richardson Show on WLOB Radio. He has authored three books, written a newspaper column for over a decade and is a contributor to Richardson Magazine.
Ray lives with his wife of 34 years, Dee Dee, in Westbrook Maine. They have four grown children (8 when you count the spouses), and blessed with one granddaughter.
