By Guy Page
Former US Attorney Christina Nolan on October 26 told WVMT’s Morning Drive call-in radio program that if Article 22 passes on November 8, the State of Vermont will “lose the ability to regulate late term abortions” for the health of the mother.
Nolan also said that “on its face, it may not be just about abortion. It may be about anything relating to reproductive rights like gender reassignment.”
Article 22 has been approved by two consecutive Vermont Legislatures. The final step for ratification into the Vermont Constitution is a simple majority ‘yes’ vote by statewide referendum. It is printed on all of the mailed ballots for the November 8 general election.
Highlight: “Roe v Wade says in the second trimester [of pregnancy] you can regulate abortion in the name of the health of the mother. So, that means requiring physicians to have certain licenses, certain qualifications, requiring that abortions be performed in certain types of facilities that meet certain standards…. So, I think we need to vote NO on [Proposal 5/Article 22] because we don’t know if we’ll be able to regulate for the health of the woman going forward under the language of this amendment. We’re going to lose the ability to regulate late term abortions, which I don’t think we should give up, and we already have Roe v. Wade rights in Vermont, and they’re not going away.”
Highlight: “Roe v Wade was about abortion in the first trimester. This constitutional amendment is about something entirely different. It talks about “reproductive autonomy.” That’s a different right. Nobody knows exactly what it is, but on its face we can be sure it’s abortion all the way up to the moment of birth, which I am not for. I am for early term abortion rights, but not late term. On its face, it has no age restrictions. So, it applies to people of all ages, including children…. And on its face, it may not be just about abortion. It may be about anything relating to reproductive rights like gender reassignment. These are things we should know. These are things voters should know. This should not be a black box for voters going into the election. So, if you’re pro choice and you believe in the Roe v Wade rights like me, I would vote NO on this amendment. Pro choice people should vote NO. You already have those abortion rights in Vermont.”
The preceding quotes were excerpted from the interview by Vermonters for Good Government. Video of Nolan’s full comments on Proposal 5 from the WVMT interview can be seen here.