Today, the Maine Democratic Party released a new video highlighting that while Paul LePage has spent the last two weeks refusing to share his plans to take away abortion rights in Maine, his GOP friends running for the state legislature have given away the game. Here are some choice quotes from anti-abortion Maine GOP candidates:
Rep. Peter Lyford (candidate for SD-10): I have always been against abortion. I don’t believe abortion at all. Nobody can call it that the doctor may say, “Well, I think the mother’s gonna die.” I believe there will always be somebody there to take care of the child.
Eric Brakey (candidate for SD-20): I think that future generations are going to look back at us today and wonder how we tolerated the mass genocide taking place in abortion clinics across America…I think that we do have an obligation. I think that a just government is a government that not just respects life, but actively defends it for both the born and the unborn.
Greg Foster (candidate for HD-86): The other thing that bothers me about abortion and the freedom to get it done is that is that the father of the child is often not considered. And I think he’s a very important person in making the decision to abort or not…I am in favor of not allowing abortion, and I like the potential that Roe v. Wade is going to be overturned.
Eric Rojo (candidate for SD-8): I believe that the unborn are part of the citizens that must be protected by the constitution.
Trey Stewart (SD-2): Abortion should not be a viable form of contraceptive, right?
LePage has downplayed the possibility of new abortion restrictions—which are incredibly unpopular in Maine—becoming law on his watch, saying he won’t have time for abortion and arguing that “half the [GOP] is pro-choice,” despite Republican state legislators’ voting records suggesting otherwise. However, LePage has continually refused to rule out signing abortion restrictions into law if elected. The comments in this video make clear that if LePage wins and the Maine GOP takes back power in the State House, Republican legislators would not hesitate to send a bill to restrict abortions to LePage’s desk.