New late-term abortion law splits Massachusetts Democrats
Multiple Democratic lawmakers in the state joined Republicans in opposing the radical pro-abortion measure, with several arguing that it goes beyond what their constituents support.
Massachusetts’ newly signed law removing the state’s 24-week gestational limit on abortion has exposed rare divisions among Democratic lawmakers in the state, some of whom have described the measure as extreme.
Signed by Gov. Maura Healey on Aug. 10, the law allows abortions at any stage during pregnancy “based upon the professional judgment of the physician.” It takes effect Nov. 8. As Zeale News previously reported, the legislation has drawn condemnation from many pro-lifers and Catholics, including CatholicVote CEO Kelsey Reinhardt, who called on Massachusetts’ bishops to clarify whether Healey excommunicated herself from the Catholic Church.
Nine Massachusetts House Democrats joined every Republican who voted in opposition to the bill, which passed the state House 119-33 July 22. The Senate approved it in a 15-4 standing vote.
In statements to FOX News Digital, multiple Democratic lawmakers criticized the legislation. State Rep. Jeffrey Turco, D-Winthrop, called it “an extremist and dangerous position” that “allows abortion anytime, unrestricted, and in many cases, publicly funded until the moment of birth.”
Turco said the “barbaric” measure had been “rushed through the legislative process in two weeks, without an opportunity for the public to weigh in,” and was “out of step with the views of the average person in Massachusetts,” according to the outlet.
State Rep. Chris Markey, D-Dartmouth, told FOX News Digital he was “deeply disappointed” by the bill’s passage. He argued that the law creates a “very slippery slope,” places doctors in a “very difficult ethical dilemma,” and “conflicts with long-standing criminal case law.”
“This law, I believe, is not consistent with the beliefs of the vast majority of my constituents,” Markey said. “While many are pro-choice, you can still be pro-choice and see this law as going beyond the norms of acceptability.”
State Rep. Dennis Gallagher, D-Bridgewater, said he struggled with the vote. He told FOX News Digital that he believes abortion should be a decision between a woman and her doctor but noted that the previous state law already allowed abortions after 24 weeks when the mother’s or unborn baby’s health was at risk.
“At that point in a pregnancy, if the health of the mother is fine and the baby's health is fine, I just think alternatives should be encouraged for that baby,” he said, according to the outlet. “So that's what I struggled with.”
State Rep. Alan Silvia, a pro-life Democrat from Bristol, said that as a legislator he “cannot support policies that continue to expand abortion, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy."
“We go to extraordinary lengths as a society to protect vulnerable life, saving whales and saving strays, yet when it comes to an unborn child, that same sense of protection too often seems to disappear,” he told the outlet.
Silvia acknowledged that there are “deeply held views on both sides” of the issue but vowed to “continue to stand by my convictions and vote accordingly.”
Healey said at the bill signing that the law was intended to allow families facing complications late in pregnancy to abort their babies in Massachusetts rather than travel out of state, as Zeale News previously reported. Amid outcry from pro-lifers, Healey’s office cited her identity as “a proud Catholic” while defending her support for the law.
As Zeale News reported, Reinhardt responded on social media by renewing her call for the state’s Catholic bishops to “ratify her position outside the Church by confirming her excommunication.”
