Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed into law Monday a bill allowing abortion until birth with the approval of a physician.
Previously, abortion in Massachusetts was permitted for any reason through the 24th week of pregnancy. Following that time, a woman could only get an abortion if a physician deemed it necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the mother, or in cases involving a fatal fetal diagnosis or severe fetal anomaly.
Under the new law, these restrictions were removed. Now, abortion can occur at any time during a pregnancy with the permission of a licensed physician relying “on their best medical judgement when caring for patients”.
“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. 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,” said Governor Healey, a Democrat, in a statement following the signing.
She continued: “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.”
Healey, who identifies as Catholic, has consistently supported abortion rights throughout her political career.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, condemned the new law and called for federal protection for the unborn.
“It should shock the conscience that tens of thousands of unborn Americans are barbarically dismembered limb by limb and torn apart every single year. 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,” she said.
Dannenfelser continued: “Without a minimum national standard, the United States remains 1 of only 8 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.”
The Massachusetts Catholic Conference called the law a “radical measure which is gravely immoral” in a statement following its passage in the House of Representatives.
“As Catholic bishops, we have a moral responsibility to present and uphold Catholic teaching and the sacred God-given dignity of every human life from conception to natural death,” the July 29 statement said.
“The proposed elimination of any legal restraint on late-term abortion is, in our judgement, a radical measure which is gravely immoral,” the bishops added.
Massachusetts recognises a legal right to abortion under its constitution, a position that has also been affirmed by the state’s Supreme Judicial Court.
