These weren’t run-of-the-mill protests. No one doubts that demonstrations have an important role in showing popular support for, or passion around, a given cause. It’s different to go to the homes of the justices, which sends the unmistakable, inherently threatening message: We know where you live.

But I bet it’s also no picnic when it’s your uterus.

By rejecting this bill, Gov. Janet Mills preserves Maine’s strained relationship with native people, neglects to provide basic rights for the state’s tribes and leaves Maine behind the rest of the nation.

If the global pandemic has done anything for us, collectively, it’s made people realize they can leave something that isn’t working for them, even if that’s a huge move.