Massachusetts Enacts Abortion-Until-Birth Law, 10th State to Allow Procedures Throughout Pregnancy
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
Massachusetts Enacts Abortion-Until-Birth Law, 10th State to Allow Procedures Throughout Pregnancy
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 14
Summary
Massachusetts became the 10th state to allow abortions throughout pregnancy after Gov. Maura Healey signed a law that takes effect in 90 days.
The measure replaces the prior 24-week limits with broader physician discretion, which Healey said will keep women from traveling out of state for later-pregnancy care.
Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OB-GYN and head of a pro-life physicians group, said emergencies after 24 weeks are typically handled by rapid delivery—sometimes an emergency C-section in under five minutes—not abortions that can take days.
Francis and other anti-abortion advocates argue the law permits elective abortions even at 39 weeks and 5 days and raises maternal-risk concerns, while Healey framed it as protecting families facing devastating late-pregnancy diagnoses.
The dispute extends to fetal pain and how often later abortions are medically necessary, underscoring a widening state-by-state divide after conservative states tightened earlier pregnancy limits.