Massachusetts Allows Abortion Through All Nine Months of Pregnancy
FlatRigor 496 sources
The Story
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed legislation on Monday that removes the state's 24-week gestational limit on abortion. The new law allows a physician to perform an abortion up until the point of birth based on professional judgment. The legislation passed through the Democrat-controlled state Senate and House. Healey stated the law ensures women, couples, and families have access to necessary care, particularly those experiencing late-term pregnancy complications. She also said healthcare decisions should be made between patients and their doctors. Pro-life advocates have criticized the law, with Massachusetts Citizens for Life President Myrna Maloney Flynn calling it legalizing elective abortion up to birth on healthy mothers and healthy, pain-capable unborn children. The law makes Massachusetts' abortion access among the broadest in the United States, positioning it as the tenth state, along with Washington D.C., to allow the procedure at any point during pregnancy. Representative Christine Barber sponsored the legislation, advocating that abortion should be between a doctor and a patient.
The Spread
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What they agree on
- Massachusetts has passed a bill that removes the state's previous 24-week gestational limit on abortion.
- The new law allows abortions to be performed later in pregnancy, effectively through all nine months.
- Governor Maura Healey signed the legislation into law.
- The law permits abortions to be performed based on the professional judgment of a physician.
Where they split
- The Christian Post and The Daily Wire frame the law as allowing abortion "until birth" and describe it with terms like "barbaric."
- The 19th* and Snopes focus on the expansion of abortion access and the removal of gestational limits.
- The Boston Globe emphasizes the legislative win for Governor Healey during her re-election bid.
Source Perspectives
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