Daniel Wolfram
This law is seen as a major victories for women’s autonomy
A miscarriage can take a tremendous toll on a family mentally and also be severely dangerous for women.
When a major law protecting pregnant women’s liberty to choose an abortion was repealed, there were nationwide protests.
Now the 10th state has removed abortion restrictions.
Regaining control
Massachusetts has officially removed its limits on late-term abortions, giving physicians total authority over these decisions. Governor Maura Healey signed the new measure into law on Monday.
The legislation repeals previous gestational abortion limits that blocked procedures after twenty-four weeks. Before this change, patients could only get a pregnancy terminated in cases where a life was directly threatened.
That policy forced local families to leave the state to find care. Healey argued that the stories about citizens mourning a miscarriage while traveling far away and paying for it themselves were one of the main reasons for this legislation.
“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,” Healey said in a statement on the bill, called the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act.
Strongest state rules
“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 pocket while navigating unimaginable grief,” Healey explained.
She added that such struggles should never happen in her home state. “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 stated.
Across the nation, the landscape remains deeply divided. Nine other states currently allow the procedure without gestational limits, according to KFF research cited by Newsweek.
These states include Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont.
Clash over changes
Pro-life advocates were quick to voice strong disagreement over the decision. SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser strongly condemned the new policy, saying it should “shock the conscience.”
Advocates for reproductive rights celebrated the outcome. Carol Rose, executive director at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts, praised the legislative victory.
“Abortion care is health care, and thanks to this new law, pregnant patients in Massachusetts will no longer have to travel far from their home state to access the care they need,” Rose said in a statement.
