AUGUSTA — Advocates for reproductive health care are rallying behind a new bill to create a permanent $5 million annual state funding stream to support family planning centers.

The centers have lost federal funds in recent years, shifting the burden to the state budget.

Already, clinics in Houlton, Presque Isle and Ellsworth have stopped providing primary care services and others are in jeopardy, advocates say.

The clinics provide cancer screenings, testing for sexually transmitted disease, wellness exams and other services, said Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth), who is sponsoring LD 335. The funds Kuhn is seeking in the bill will not pay for abortions. 

“If health centers close, many of our most vulnerable constituents will have nowhere else to go, in part because these providers do not turn anyone away, regardless of insurance or ability to pay,” Kuhn said.

Across Maine, more than 60 health centers rely at least in part on family planning funding. Those centers serve about 30,000 people per year. Of those, 69% are at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, Kuhn said.

Opponents of the bill, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland and Maine Right to Life, say the state should not be funding family planning services.

“While supporters characterize this bill as merely ‘family planning,’ experience shows that broad funding streams often subsidize or indirectly support entities that provide abortion or refer for abortion, contrary to the value of protecting life at all stages,” Mike McClellan, executive director of Maine Right to Life, said in written testimony. 

In her proposed budget, Gov. Janet Mills is directing $2.25 million to continue to shore up family planning services statewide. That’s in addition to $6 million approved by lawmakers last year.

Kuhn said after more than a decade of underfunding and continued uncertainty at the federal level, Maine should create a permanent funding stream for these services.

Lisa Margulies, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said by cutting funds, even those earmarked for non-abortion care, the federal government is trying to force their clinics to close.

“Let’s be clear,” she said. “These efforts amount to a backdoor abortion ban intended to shutter our health centers and eliminate patient access to care in states like Maine where abortion remains legal.” 

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect the discontinuation of primary care services in Houlton, Presque Isle and Ellsworth. Sexual and reproductive health care services are still available at those locations.