Massachusetts Legalizes Abortion Up to Birth
Massachusetts Legalizes Abortion Up to Birth
The News
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, signed legislation Monday repealing the state's 24-week limit on abortion, making Massachusetts the 10th state to allow abortion at any point in pregnancy.
The new law, H.5595, permits abortion at any stage based on a physician's professional judgment.
The prior law banned most abortions after 24 weeks except in life-threatening circumstances.
Timeline
The Legislature passed the bill, which supporters fast-tracked to clear the full body before adjournment.
Healey signed the measure into law, framing it as a commitment to health-care access "no matter what Donald Trump or Republicans in Congress or the Supreme Court does."
Reactions
Supporters pointed to cases like a Boston couple who they said paid roughly $10,000 and traveled 500 miles to Maryland for a later abortion after a late-term fetal stroke diagnosis. The group Reproductive Equity Now estimates dozens of Massachusetts patients traveled out of state each year for later abortions.
Pro-life leaders condemned the law. Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said it removed protections for unborn children she described as capable of feeling pain. Marjorie Dannenfelser of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America called for a minimum national abortion standard.
More
Massachusetts joins nine other states and Washington, D.C., with no gestational age cap. Roughly 8% of U.S. abortions — about 88,000 per year — occur in the second trimester or later, according to figures cited in the coverage.
What's Next
Healey cast the signing as a response to potential federal restrictions from the Trump administration. Watch for whether the law draws a legal or ballot challenge in Massachusetts, and whether Congress or the Justice Department moves to impose federal gestational limits.
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