Massachusetts governor signs bill protecting abortion access
Associated PressBOSTON — A sweeping abortion bill designed to protect access to the procedure in Massachusetts at a time when many other states are restricting or outlawing abortions was signed into law Friday by Republican Gov. The bill also states that access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care services is a right protected by the Massachusetts Constitution; requires the state’s Medicaid program, known as MassHealth, to cover abortions; allows over-the-counter emergency contraception to be sold in vending machines; and requires public colleges and universities to create medication abortion readiness plans for students. “This new legislation signed today builds on that action by protecting patients and providers from legal interference from more restrictive laws in other states,” Baker said in a written statement adding Massachusetts “remains steadfast in its commitment to protect access to reproductive health care services.” The new law also addresses the question of permitting an abortion for a pregnancy that has lasted 24 weeks or longer. Under the bill, the abortion would be allowed if, in the best medical judgment of a physician, it is necessary to preserve the life of the patient, necessary to preserve the patient’s physical or mental health, warranted because of a lethal fetal anomaly or diagnosis or warranted because of “a grave fetal diagnosis that indicates that the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside of the uterus without extraordinary medical interventions.” The vast majority of abortions occur before 20 to 21 weeks of pregnancy.