Massachusetts Governor Does the Unthinkable for Abortion

Massachusetts took a dramatic step on Monday when Democratic Governor Maura Healey put her signature on legislation that removes the state’s previous 24-week limit on abortions.

The measure, formally titled “An Act Prioritizing Patient Access to Care,” hands doctors broad discretion to perform abortions at any point in pregnancy.

Healey framed the change as compassion for families confronting heartbreaking diagnoses. “Today, mothers and fathers and families who experience these devastating diagnoses — and they are devastating, heartbreaking — now they’ll be able to make their own choices,” she said at the signing ceremony.

She went further, promising continuity no matter the political climate: “I promise that no matter what Donald Trump or Republicans in Congress or the Supreme Court does, we’re going to continue to make sure that women and families have access to the health care that they need right here in Massachusetts.”

The bill had already cleared the Democrat-controlled House and Senate last month, clearing the path for the governor’s pen.

Critics immediately called the expansion extreme. Republican state Representative Alyson Sullivan-Almeida declared, “It’s a very sad day in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. The precedent that we’re setting is that a mother can get an abortion up until the moment of birth for a healthy, viable baby.”

SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser condemned the move in strong terms. “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,” she said.

Massachusetts now joins a short list of states and the District of Columbia that allow abortions throughout pregnancy.

The debate over whether national limits should replace state-by-state rules is certain to intensify in the months ahead.