Massachusetts makes major change to abortion law in landmark bill
Women in Massachusetts suffering from serious pregnancy complications will now be able to undergo an abortion up until birth, following the implementation of new legislation this week.
The state's governor, Maura Healey, signed a document this week that strengthens legal protection for women who choose to terminate their pregnancy, promising them appropriate medical care from trusted, local providers.
Physicians will now be allowed to rely on their professional judgement, in combination with accepted standards of care, when providing abortion care in cases of late-term pregnancy.
The change has been proposed to ensure that legal uncertainty doesn't stop women facing foetal diagnoses, amongst other complex medical complications, from receiving the timely care they deserve.
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The decision was made in response to the US Supreme Court's controversial overturning of Roe vs. Wade in 2022, which previously established a nationwide constitutional right to abortion.
While Donald Trump's Republican administration is pushing to extend bans on abortion across the States, Massachusetts residents are being handed further access to reproductive healthcare.
Prior legislation forced Massachusetts patients to leave the state to receive care for pregnancy complications, which separated them from doctors, support systems and their families.
Most abortions in the state had previously occurred in the first trimester, with only a handful of exceptional cases being permitted after 24 weeks.
It also forced physicians to determine whether a patient met a small list of statutory exceptions before agreeing to provide them with an abortion later on in the pregnancy.
The newly signed law, however, introduces greater clarity for providers dealing with patients suffering from complex medical needs.
Explaining the decision, Governor Healy claimed: "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."
She added: "That should never happen in Massachusetts."
Healy also vowed the law would continue the state's efforts to have the 'strongest abortion protections' in the country, because lawmakers believe health-related decisions 'should be made between women and their doctors'.
Massachusetts lawmakers have now followed in the footsteps of nine other states in allowing abortions at any point during a pregnancy.
Healy, a Democrat, continued: "We believe that health care decisions should be made between women and families and their doctors, not politicians.
"Abortion will remain safe, it will remain legal, and it will remain accessible here in Massachusetts.
"That’s my commitment to you."
Topics: Pregnancy, Parenting, US News, News, Women's Health
Rhianna Benson