by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
BOSTON (Worthy News) – Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has signed legislation removing the state’s previous statutory restrictions governing abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy, prompting pro-life leaders to warn that the new standard effectively permits abortions throughout pregnancy based on a physician’s professional judgment.
House Bill 5595, titled the “Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act,” was signed Monday after clearing the Massachusetts Legislature late last month. The House enacted the measure 121-35 on July 31 after initially approving it 119-33. The Senate also approved the legislation before sending it to Healey.
Previous Restrictions Removed
Under the previous Massachusetts law, abortions at or beyond 24 weeks could be performed only when a physician determined they were necessary to preserve the mother’s life or physical or mental health, or in cases involving a lethal or grave fetal diagnosis.
The new law removes those specific statutory categories and allows physicians to make decisions regarding abortions later in pregnancy according to their professional medical judgment. The Massachusetts Legislature said the change was intended to prevent patients from having to leave the state for abortions doctors consider medically appropriate.
Supporters portrayed the law as removing government interference from medical decisions.
Healey said after signing the legislation that abortion would remain “safe, legal and accessible” in Massachusetts while she is governor, arguing that such decisions should remain between women and their doctors.
Pro-Life Groups Warn of Abortions Through Nine Months
Pro-life advocates sharply condemned the change, noting that the law no longer establishes an objective gestational limit after 24 weeks.
National Right to Life President Carol Tobias said Massachusetts had removed protections for unborn children who may already be capable of surviving outside the womb.
“When lawmakers remove every objective limitation and authorize an abortion provider to decide whether an abortion may be performed at any point during pregnancy, abortion until birth is precisely what the law allows,” Tobias said.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser likewise criticized the legislation, calling for federal protections for unborn children rather than leaving abortion policy entirely to individual states.
The legislation represents another major expansion of abortion access in Massachusetts following the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and returned substantial authority over abortion law to the states.
For Christians and pro-life advocates, the debate reaches beyond politics to the biblical conviction that human life possesses inherent value because mankind is created in the image of God. As states increasingly chart dramatically different courses on abortion, the divide over when and how unborn life should be protected continues to deepen across America.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
