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ICYMI: Mini Timmaraju and Troy Jackson Discuss His Path to Becoming a Champion for Reproductive Freedom and What’s at Stake in Maine
ICYMI: Mini Timmaraju and Troy Jackson Discuss His Path to Becoming a Champion for Reproductive Freedom and What’s at Stake in Maine
In this week’s episode of My Body. My Pod., Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju sat down with Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson to discuss his evolution on abortion, his role in expanding reproductive care in Maine, the connection between abortion and affordability, and his campaign against Senator Susan Collins.
Jackson described how conversations with women, healthcare providers, and people in his community challenged his views on abortion, ultimately leading him to reconsider his earlier opposition to abortion rights: “I just really took it to heart. And the more that I had these conversations that were really powerful, the more people explained to me that, you know, this was health care. You know, I mean, for so many different ways, this was health care to people that needed it.”
He said those conversations convinced him that abortion decisions should rest with patients and their health care providers—not elected officials: “This is somebody else’s decision. This is not my decision. This is not the government’s decision. It’s up to a doctor and the patient to decide what’s best for their care, her care. And I don’t want to be involved in that, nor should I. I’m a logger. I mean, I shouldn’t be deciding somebody’s healthcare.”
As President of the Maine Senate, Jackson helped advance legislation to make Maine a national leader in access to abortion and contraception. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, he worked with colleagues across both chambers and Governor Janet Mills to expand reproductive freedom in Maine. He sponsored LD 1954—requiring insurance plans to cover contraceptives without out-of-pocket costs—and championed LD 1619— expanding abortion access later in pregnancy—both of which became law. In the podcast, Jackson describes how proud he feels about this work.
Jackson and Timmaraju also discussed his race against Senator Susan Collins and the issues facing Maine voters. Jackson contrasted his priorities with Collins’ record, saying, “She’s fighting for billionaires. I’m fighting for working class people. I’m fighting for health care.” He pointed to health care, prescription drugs, child care, elder care, housing, and property taxes as major concerns for working people, and emphasized that reproductive freedom is part of that same economic package.
As Jackson explained, the ability to decide whether and when to have a child is inseparable from having control over your own health care and future: “It costs a lot to take care of yourself in today’s economy, to bring a child into this world, you know, without health care, without child care, with the costs to have food and diapers. That is something that people have to weigh. And that’s why I feel so strongly. For me, having my kids was like such a blessing. I don’t know if we could do that today. I just think that people need to have that freedom of knowing [that] they could afford to do this.”
Watch the full episode here.
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For over 55 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.
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