In Maine, people take pride in leading. The actions taken with “Dirigo,” the state motto meaning “I Lead,” are evident in the gravity that Maine’s U.S. senators take in weighing decisions about legislation.

In these turbulent times of extreme contentiousness, we have seen both Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have an open mind on bipartisan issues to reach a vote that is best for the people of Maine.

Sens. Snowe and Collins have returned to their seats in the U.S. Senate. The “Lame Duck” session will likely cover just a few primary issues. One of these is a resolution approving the ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that reduces the number of deployed nuclear weapons in the United States and Russia.

The New START treaty between the U.S. and the Russian Federation was signed by Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Barack Obama in April of this year and has been thoroughly examined by Senate committees in more than 20 hearings. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the resolution for ratification for New START in a bipartisan 14-4 vote. So far Sens. Collins and Snowe have not said how they will vote for the Resolution.

Earlier this fall the Maine Medical Association passed a resolution at its annual meeting urging Snowe and Collins to support both New START and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. This is believed to be the only medical association in the country to have come forward and advocated for this very significant issue. Again, Mainers are leading the way.

Why now? Why would an association of health care professionals advocate for an international disarmament treaty?

The essence of good health for humankind is prevention of policies that are contrary to the well-being in the world. The MMA stressed that health effects from even small nuclear explosions are far beyond the ability of the medical community and the public health infrastructure to respond to sufficiently.

Any physician who has tried to care for a severely burned or injured patient knows prevention is far better than any treatment. Unquestionably, the Public Health Committee of the MMA believes that, in the case of the health effects of nuclear weapons, New START and CTBT promote prevention.

The MMA and its Public Health Committee took a bold step forward to inform decision makers of the seriousness and urgency of these treaties.

In addition, Physicians for Social Responsibility and the Nobel Prize winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War have been advocating tirelessly for ensuring that our world becomes a safer place with the long-term reduction nuclear weapons.

The medical community is far from alone in its support for this treaty. It has a history of bipartisan backing by former secretaries of state from Henry Kissinger to Colin Powell, and former secretaries of defense, including William Cohen.

Current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says, “The New START treaty has the unanimous support of America’s military leadership.” Also, seven former STRATCOM commanders have urged quick Senate ratification, and numerous retired flag officers have endorsed New START for its national security benefits.

New START is a legally binding, verifiable agreement between the U.S and Russia, reducing both sides’ deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 and strategic delivery systems to 800 deployed and non-deployed (such as submarines in overhaul). The warhead limit is 30 percent lower than the 2,200 limit of the 2003 Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty.

It has been nearly an entire year since New START’s predecessor, START I, expired and took with it the access to crucial intelligence that the United States requires for its security. Until the Senate votes to ratify New START, the United States is denied vital national security and intelligence benefits.

Senate approval for ratification requires a two-thirds majority, and would need at least eight Republican votes. The support of Sens. Collins and Snowe are key to its passage.

Now is the time for Maine’s senators to take the leadership role for New START ratification as asked for by diverse Maine constituents, editorial writers in major Maine newspapers, and the Maine Medical Association.

Stephen A. Sokol, M.D., is an assistant professor of geriatrics at the University of New England. He lives in Lewiston.