Massachusetts Lawmakers Rush 24-Week Abortion Bill as Senate Nears Vote on Post-24-Week Rules
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 31
Massachusetts Lawmakers Rush 24-Week Abortion Bill as Senate Nears Vote on Post-24-Week Rules
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 31
Summary
Massachusetts Democrats are pushing the Prioritizing Patients' Access to Care Act through the Legislature before Friday's session end after the House passed it 119-33 and the Senate prepared to vote.
The bill keeps abortion access through 24 weeks but would scrap the current four post-24-week statutory exceptions, letting licensed physicians decide whether later abortions are medically appropriate and blocking third-party reviewers from overruling them.
Supporters say the change prevents patients from leaving Massachusetts for care, citing a 2021 case in which a woman sought a 33-week abortion out of state after providers doubted her case fit existing exceptions.
Opponents say current law already allows broad health, life and fetal-diagnosis exceptions and argue the measure would effectively permit abortions throughout the second and third trimesters on a doctor's signoff.
The fast-track effort reflects a broader post-Dobbs push by Democratic-led states to strengthen abortion protections; Maine adopted a similar physician-judgment standard in 2023.