Mass. Governor Maura Healey signs legislation protecting abortion

What This is

• Gov. Maura Healey signed H.5595, also described as the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, expanding access to abortions later in pregnancy.
• The law removes the old 24-week structure that allowed later abortions only for a listed set of reasons, and instead lets doctors rely on professional judgment.
• It also ends the prior requirement that abortions after 24 weeks be performed only in a hospital.
• Supporters say the change helps families facing rare late-pregnancy complications and prevents patients from having to travel out of state for care.
• Supporters also say some hospitals have turned away patients in serious later-pregnancy situations under the old rules, and that clearer authority for doctors can prevent delays.
• Opponents argue the law reduces oversight and could allow abortions very late in pregnancy, including up to birth, and they raise safety concerns.

Why This Matters

• It shifts who controls late-pregnancy decisions by putting more authority in a single doctor’s hands, which changes how the state balances patient autonomy, medical judgment, and public oversight.
• It may affect whether patients with fast-moving pregnancy complications can get care quickly or must travel, which can add cost, delay, and health risk.
• It adds to the growing divide between states after the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, with some states expanding abortion access while others restrict it.
• It could shape the politics of abortion in Massachusetts by making later-term access a more central issue in elections and legislative fights.