Why does my inbox have messages saying that Maine’s new law against shackling pregnant women is an “accidental win”? True, the governor of Maine let this and a number of other progressive bills become law without his signature, and then claimed to have vetoed them. But if activists hadn’t run such an effective campaign to win hearts and minds in the legislature, the governor wouldn’t have had the bill on his desk in the first place.
Read my take over at RH Reality Check on the crucial role of advocacy in winning positive change.
In addition to outlawing shackling, the other new laws in Maine re-classify certain low-level drug possession charges as misdemeanors instead of felonies, sparing people struggling with addiction up to five years in prison, and provide access to public assistance for people seeking asylum.
Related Posts
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of MomsRising.org.
MomsRising.org strongly encourages our readers to post comments in response to blog posts. We value diversity of opinions and perspectives. Our goals for this space are to be educational, thought-provoking, and respectful. So we actively moderate comments and we reserve the right to edit or remove comments that undermine these goals. Thanks!