AUGUSTA — Maine’s Democratic House speaker has joined a group of state lawmakers that is filing court papers in support of maintaining abortion rights.

Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau said Tuesday he is one of almost 900 state lawmakers in the country who signed on to an amicus brief in support of abortion rights in the Dobbs vs. Women’s Health Organization court case.

The office of Mississippi’s Republican attorney general has filed papers with the U.S. Supreme Court in that case that argue states should be allowed to decide whether to regulate abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb.

Fecteau said he and hundreds of lawmakers “believe every person should be able to make decisions about pregnancy and parenting and be able to carry and deliver a pregnancy free from fear and government control.”

Fecteau said a half dozen bills to restrict abortion access were presented to the Maine Legislature this year, but none passed.