By Bob Katzen
The Compassionate Care Coalition, led by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action, announced at a Statehouse event that it has collected 97,276 signatures, nearly double the 49,716 signatures needed to put the recently-approved abortion bill on the 2028 ballot for voters to repeal or maintain.
The measure, signed by Gov. Healey on August 10, would loosen restrictions on abortions that can be performed after 24 weeks of gestation. The bill is scheduled to take effect on November 8, 90 days after the governor signed it. The measure 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. Local city and town officials have certified the signatures, but the Secretary of State’s office still has to certify the signatures in order for the question to go on 2028 ballot.
As it stands now, if the secretary certifies the signatures, the question would not only go on the 2028 ballot but the law would be suspended until after the 2028 election. However, Gov. Healey can attach an emergency preamble to make the law go into effect immediately which would also prevent it from being suspended. She did exactly that to prohibit suspension of the 2024-gun law, which is the subject of a repeal effort that voters are deciding on November 3.
“The people of Massachusetts did not ask for abortion through all nine months, and in a matter of weeks they made that clear,” said Sam Miele, chairman of the Compassionate Care Coalition. “We are grateful to every volunteer, pastor and parish staffer who carried a clipboard. Because of them, voters will have the final say.”
“When it seems impossible to reach and serve vulnerable, hurting women, remember that truth paves the road of possibility,” said Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life and vice chair of the Compassionate Care Coalition. “If you ever think you’re powerless when it comes to protecting the unborn, think again.”
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle congratulated the Compassionate Care Coalition. He noted, “If this proposed referendum makes it to the ballot in 2028, it will be the first time in 42 years that Bay State voters will directly decide an abortion issue.”
“This law was passed on the fundamental principle that decisions about pregnancy belong between a woman and her doctor, not politicians,” said Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton) who opposes repeal. “In Massachusetts, physicians must be free to exercise their best medical judgment, patients must be free to make decisions for themselves and their families, and no one should have to leave the commonwealth to receive care available in our world-class medical institutions. Indeed, the idea that politicians belong in the exam room is an extreme and deeply outdated view, one that runs counter to the values Massachusetts residents have repeatedly affirmed through their strong support for abortion rights.”
“The [bill] is supported by leading medical experts, reproductive health and justice advocates and more than two-thirds of Massachusetts voters,” said Sheila Ramirez, executive director of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts. “People in Massachusetts don’t want politicians or religious institutions dictating what kind of pregnancy care they can receive. The groups behind this referendum effort are once again spreading fear and misinformation to stigmatize abortion and restrict access to care that patients need and providers are trained to deliver. Massachusetts has consistently stood for health care access, reproductive freedom and evidence-based medicine, and voters are not interested in moving backward.”
Kathleen Melendy, Massachusetts state director for Reproductive Equity Now, argues that the law “responds to the realities patients and providers are facing and ensures patients can access compassionate care here at home.”
Melendy continued, “This referendum effort is part of a broader national anti-abortion campaign working state by state to roll back reproductive freedom. It is no coincidence that it comes as the Trump administration and its allies are using the power of the federal government to restrict reproductive health care nationwide. Now, anti-abortion activists are trying to bring that same agenda to Massachusetts.”