BOSTON — Prominent church leaders and Republicans across Massachusetts are opposed to new legislation that would expand access to abortion in the state. The Roman Catholic Bishops of Dioceses of Massachusetts called the legislation “extreme measures,” while the state Republican Party chair called it an “infanticide bill.”
The ROE Act was filed by Democratic Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler and Speaker Pro Tempore Pat Haddad. The legislation would expand abortion service access and includes allowing for abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy in cases of a fatal fetal anomaly.
Under current Massachusetts law, abortions after 24 weeks are only performed if the patient’s health is at risk. The bill would also eliminate a parental consent requirement for girls under the age of 18.
The bishops opposed the expansion, saying in a statement, “The result would become abortion on demand for the full term of pregnancy.” But Haddad told WGBH that the bill is about the safety and health of the women, “It’s about a medical professional and a family, what is right in their circumstance. Not mine. Not Jim Lyons.”
The bill comes at a time when the U.S. Supreme Court is dealing with a Louisiana abortion case that could lead to a review of Roe V. Wade.
Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jim Lyons called the ROE Act “radical infanticide bill.”
“Under the radical infanticide bill, absolutely nothing would be done to protect or even comfort a baby who survives a late-term abortion,” Lyons said in a statement released through the MassGOP.
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, a nonprofit that advocates reproductive freedom in the state, said opponents of the bill are misrepresenting it with inflammatory language.
“At a time when abortion access is being threatened across the country, we’re fighting for the ROE Act to ensure that access to safe, legal abortion care is protected for all Bay Staters,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, NARAL’s executive director.
Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford, recently weighed in.”Just like Donald Trump, Massachusetts Republicans are using lies and fear-mongering in an effort to deny women the fundamental right to access healthcare and make their own reproductive health decisions,” Bickford said in a statement. Regarding the ROE Act, he added, “The Massachusetts Democratic Party will always stand up to Republican attacks on women, and their right to access safe, legal abortion and other reproductive health services.”
In the middle is Gov. Charlie Baker, who opposes the bill and late-term abortion. He stands by the state’s current legislation. Baker, a pro-choice Republican, signed a bill on Friday that could free up $8 million to cover the loss of any Title X funding. The funding was lost after the Trump administration issued a new rule that blocked funds to clinics that offer abortions or abortion referrals.
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