Massachusetts Legislature Sends Bill Expanding Abortion Access Throughout Pregnancy to Governor Healey

Massachusetts is on the verge of becoming one of the few states to eliminate a gestational limit on abortion in favor of physician judgment.

The Massachusetts Senate voted Friday to approve the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, legislation that would repeal the state’s 24-week gestational restriction on abortion and instead allow physicians to determine when care is medically appropriate throughout pregnancy. The House approved the measure last week, sending it to Gov. Maura Healey, who is expected to decide whether to sign it into law.

Supporters argue the legislation closes a gap that has persisted even after Massachusetts enacted the ROE Act in 2020 and later adopted shield law protections for abortion providers. Under current law, abortion after 24 weeks is permitted only under limited statutory exceptions. Physicians and reproductive rights advocates have long argued those restrictions can prevent patients with complex pregnancies from receiving care in Massachusetts, forcing them to travel elsewhere.

Reproductive Equity Now, which backed the legislation, called the Senate vote a historic victory. Interim co-Executive Director Claire Teylouni said the measure would ensure patients are no longer forced to leave Massachusetts for medically necessary abortion care and would place those decisions in the hands of patients and their physicians rather than politicians.

Bill sponsor Sen. Robyn Kennedy said the legislation comes as the Trump administration has intensified efforts to restrict reproductive health care nationally. She said Massachusetts should continue eliminating barriers so patients can receive the care they need within the Commonwealth.

Sen. Cindy Friedman, who chairs the Senate Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, said the bill clarifies that decisions involving complicated pregnancies belong between patients and their medical providers, not lawmakers.

Medical organizations echoed that message.

The Massachusetts Medical Society said complex pregnancy decisions should be guided by established medical standards, ethics and physicians’ professional judgment. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, whose members specialize in high-risk pregnancies, said existing law has interfered with evidence-based care by requiring some patients to leave Massachusetts for abortion later in pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Massachusetts Section also praised lawmakers, saying the legislation will allow patients to receive care from trusted physicians without arbitrary legal barriers.

Civil liberties and reproductive rights organizations similarly applauded the vote. The ACLU of Massachusetts urged Gov. Healey to sign the bill, while Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts described the legislation as another step toward strengthening reproductive freedom as many other states continue restricting abortion access.

Advocates say the need for the legislation is reflected in patient experiences. According to Reproductive Equity Now, providers report that approximately one patient each month must leave Massachusetts for abortion care after 24 weeks. During legislative testimony, the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts reported helping finance travel for 16 patients seeking later abortion care during the first six months of 2025, including five patients in January alone.

Public opinion polling commissioned by Reproductive Equity Now Foundation earlier this year found broad support for the proposal. According to the organization, 66% of Massachusetts voters support allowing abortion throughout pregnancy based on the professional judgment of a licensed physician.

If Gov. Healey signs the legislation, Massachusetts would further distinguish itself as one of the nation’s strongest legal protections for abortion access, replacing a fixed gestational limit with physician-guided medical decision-making for care later in pregnancy.