Congress recently passed an abortion procedures ban which President Clinton is expected to veto. Like the ban defeated in Maine, the federal bill is vaguely worded and could apply to the most common and safest procedures at any stage of pregnancy -- even in the first trimester. From coast-to-coast, voters have rejected such bans in every state where they have been on the ballot.
"Most people support abortion rights and will not be fooled by this stealth strategy of religious, political extremists. The victory in Maine shows the strength of our movement and our issues as we gear-up for the 2000 Elections."
Maine NOW PAC activists mounted a campaign to defeat the referendum -- registering students to vote, distributing thousands of leaflets and calling voters throughout the state. National NOW field organizers worked with local activists and Ireland visited the state to rally supporters in the final weeks before the vote.
"Our success in Maine is a preview of things to come. We are going
to organize voters across the country to come out in support of feminist
issues and feminist candidates in 2000," Ireland said.
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