By Bob Katzen
Gov. Healey signed into law legislation that would loosen restrictions on abortions that can be performed after 24 weeks of gestation. The bill removes existing requirements that limit abortions at 24 weeks of pregnancy or later to four specific medical circumstances, and instead allows licensed physicians and providers to rely on their best medical judgment when caring for patients.
Supporters said that under current law, the four specific categories do not account for the full spectrum of medical conditions encountered by women and their doctors: protecting the patient’s life or physical or mental health, or cases involving a lethal fetal anomaly or a grave fetal diagnosis.
“I’ve heard heartbreaking stories from women and families who were preparing to welcome a healthy baby into their family, only to receive devastating news later in their pregnancy,” said Gov, Healey. “Instead of being able to rely on the doctors they knew and trusted at home, they were forced to travel hundreds of miles and pay out of their pockets while navigating unimaginable grief. That should never happen in Massachusetts. This law continues our efforts to have the strongest abortion protections in the country because in Massachusetts, we believe health care decisions should be made between women and their doctors.”
“As the Trump Administration ramps up attacks on reproductive care and abortion access nationwide, Massachusetts must continue closing gaps in care so that women have full autonomy over the care they need, when and where they need it,” said Sen. Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester), Senate sponsor of the bill. “The Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act ensures Massachusetts patients do not have to leave the commonwealth to get the care they need, and empowers physicians to support their patients throughout their pregnancies. Thank you to all the advocates who have brought this bill to fruition, especially the women who have shared their experiences.”
“Throughout relentless attacks on reproductive rights, Massachusetts has prioritized the fundamental rights and health care of its residents,” said Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville), House sponsor of the bill. “This law ensures access to care by empowering physicians to use their professional judgment to make decisions in the best interest of their patients. Pregnancy is complex, and I am grateful the House advanced this bill to eliminate barriers and guarantee medical expertise as the standard of care. It comes down to a simple, but powerful conviction: decisions about abortion care must remain between a patient and their provider. No one else. Today, we show our commitment to protecting the rights of our residents of the commonwealth.”
Opponents said the legislation allows elective abortions up to birth based solely on a physician’s professional judgment. They said it eliminates the current requirement that complex late-term abortions be performed in a hospital setting, thus allowing abortions on healthy mothers and healthy infants at a stage when unborn children can feel pain and may be able to survive outside the womb.
Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life said, “Legalizing elective abortion up to birth on healthy moms and healthy, pain-capable infants is not about a doctor-patient relationship but rather abortionists normalizing infant death and pressuring vulnerable women to permit their unborn children to die in heinous acts of violence, which are among the most severe human rights assaults allowed in only a few places, among them China and North Korea.”
Flynn continued, “The fight for life in Massachusetts has been built over decades by advocates, supporters, volunteers and organizations willing to stand for life even when the political environment was difficult. The signing of this law does not erase that work. Instead, it gives us a new opportunity to build on it. We can use this national exposure to educate new audiences about abortion later in pregnancy and about the options available to women instead of abortion. We can earn hearts and minds with the truth. Abortion is a choice, and we can make that choice unthinkable. That’s our main effort now.”
“It should shock the conscience that tens of thousands of unborn Americans are barbarically dismembered limb by limb and torn apart every single year,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “Sadly, that number will only increase with Gov. Healey’s approval of the Abortion Up Until Birth Bill. The GOP must abandon the ‘leave it to the states’ position – a stance that permits egregious late-term abortion laws like this one – and advance national protections for unborn children. Without a minimum national standard, the United States remains one of only eight countries worldwide that allows abortion at any point in pregnancy. We must do all we can to turn the page on America’s ugly chapter of late-term abortion.”
“Every legislator who voted for this bill needs to be held accountable — and that starts with people like you taking action, running for office or volunteering,” said the Massachusetts Family Action on its website. “The coming fall elections are a critical moment for the future of Massachusetts.”