Massachusetts Expands Access to Abortions After 24 Weeks

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed legislation expanding access to abortions after the 24th week of pregnancy. Instead of limiting such procedures to specific statutory circumstances, the law allows physicians to determine whether an abortion is appropriate based on their professional medical judgment.

The legislation also removes the requirement that abortions after 24 weeks be performed only in hospitals. The Massachusetts House of Representatives approved the bill on 22 July by a vote of 119-33.

Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said the law removes the last legal protections for unborn children capable of surviving outside the womb.

Myrna Maloney Flynn of Massachusetts Citizens for Life also criticized the measure, arguing that it leaves the decision to a single physician.

According to the Guttmacher Institute and other legal trackers, Massachusetts joins a small group of US jurisdictions that do not impose a fixed gestational limit once a physician determines an abortion is medically appropriate.

(lifenews, bak)