Sixteen state attorneys general say they may sue if Maine passes a law shielding providers of gender-affirming care

Sixteen state attorneys general say they may sue if Maine passes a law shielding providers of gender-affirming care and abortion from out-of-state legal action.
TRUDY RING
MARCH 13 2024 11:14 AM EST

Republican attorneys general from 16 states are threatening to sue Maine if it passes a law shielding providers of gender-affirming care and abortion from out-of-state legal action.

Maine legislators are considering a bill, Legislative Document 227, which “aims to protect health care providers from subpoenas or warrants, health records requests, extradition requests and other civil or criminal proceedings if they provide care — including abortion and gender-affirming care — that has been banned in a patient’s home state,” the Portland Press Herald reports. It would also allow these health care professionals to sue out-of-state officials who take action against them.

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have adopted similar “shield laws” regarding abortion providers, and 11 states and D.C. have such laws regarding providers of gender-affirming care.

The letter from the Republican AGs, led by Jonathan Skrmetti of Tennessee, claims that LD 227 “violates the United States Constitution and flouts the federalist structure that allows each of our States to engage in self-government responsive to the will of our citizens.”
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