Topline
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) contacted local police in Bangor, Maine, over the weekend after abortion rights protesters apparently left a chalk message outside her home in support of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), the Bangor Daily News reports, as the moderate senator prepares to vote against legislation that would codify abortion rights into law.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington on May 4.
Key Facts
Protesters wrote, “Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA —–> vote yes, clean up your mess” in chalk on the sidewalk outside Collins’ Bangor home, the Daily News reports based on a police report about the incident.
Collins called the local police to investigate the incident, who the Daily News reports arrived at her home at 9:20 p.m. on Saturday.
The chalk message was “not overtly threatening,” police spokesperson Wade Betters told the publication, which notes the message was no longer present as of Monday.
Collins said in a statement she was “grateful” to the police officers and public works employee “who responded to the defacement of public property in front of our home.”
The Bangor Police Department has not yet responded to a request for further comment on the incident.
What To Watch For
The Senate will vote Wednesday on WHPA, which would codify abortion rights into federal law and ban many common restrictions on the procedure that GOP-led states have employed. Collins, who broadly supports abortion rights, has already said she’ll vote against the legislation, claiming it goes too far and does not have religious protections for Catholic hospitals to refuse to perform the procedure. (Democratic senators have said the bill would not have an effect on Catholic hospitals.) The bill is expected to fail in the Senate, as it previously did in February in a 46-48 vote.
Key Background
The chalk message outside Collins’ home comes as abortion rights protesters have also taken their demonstrations to the homes of Supreme Court justices, after Politico published a draft opinion from February showing a majority of justices support overturning Roe v. Wade. (The draft opinion is not final, with an official decision coming likely in June.) Protesters have gathered outside the homes of Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Chief Justice John Roberts in recent days to oppose the potential ruling, leading the Senate to pass legislation Monday that enhances security for the justices, though there are no indications the protests have not been peaceful. The bill was passed quickly by voice vote with no senators objecting.
Tangent
This isn’t the first time political messages have been left outside lawmakers’ homes. Vandals spray painted “Where’s My Money” on the garage door of then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in January 2021 after he blocked a vote on stimulus checks. The graffiti came days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) received a similar message saying “$2K cancel rent” at her home, along with a severed pig’s head left outside her garage door.
Further Reading
Pro-abortion chalk message appears on Susan Collins’ Bangor sidewalk (Bangor Daily News)
Sen. Susan Collins Says She’ll Still Vote Against Abortion Rights Bill Next Week (Forbes)
Abortion battle moves to homes of Supreme Court justices (The Hill)
