Planned Parenthood Maine Action Fund has celebrated the election of Troy Jackson as United States Senator for Maine, after defeating Republican Susan Collins in the legislative elections on November 3. In a statement released after the victory, the organization’s president and CEO, Nicole Clegg, described Jackson as a «fighter» and a defender of reproductive freedom, and acknowledged his role in expanding access to abortion in the state, according to the organization’s own statement.
Clegg attributed to the new senator, who presided over the Maine Senate, legislative leadership that has allowed the state to remain a «safe haven» for abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated federal protection for abortion. The Planned Parenthood affiliate also maintains that Jackson has had a 100% rating from the organization since 2017.
From defending life to supporting abortion
Jackson, who was raised Catholic, maintained a position against abortion for years. According to information published by CNN last July, in a 2010 candidate questionnaire he wrote that «abortion should never be legal.» Maine Right to Life gave him the highest score in 2003 and 2010, and in 2011 he supported a bill on fetal personhood.
That stance changed nearly a decade ago, when he was minority leader and later president of the state Senate. Jackson has stated that he was wrong to oppose abortion at the beginning of his career and that conversations with women, doctors, and community leaders led him to change his mind. Today he supports a federal right to abortion.
A law to expand abortion in Maine
Clegg and Jackson had already collaborated on the 2023 law that expanded access to abortion beyond fetal viability, promoted by Governor Janet Mills and House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross. Jackson was one of the co-sponsors of that initiative, which removed limits on abortion in the later stages of pregnancy and the criminal penalties provided for in state law.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund had officially endorsed his candidacy a few weeks before the election, and Clegg moderated an event with the candidate in Bath on the eve of his first debate with Collins, in which she praised his record leading the state Senate.
The case adds to that of other politicians who declare themselves Catholic and vote in favor of abortion, such as Democrat James Talarico, who won the Texas Senate after calling León XIV and Francis «spiritual heroes.» Church teaching holds that abortion is an intrinsic evil and that Catholics in public office cannot support it.