Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a renegade Catholic who previously met with Pope Francis, signed into law a measure that effectively legalizes infanticide. The Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act removes all gestational limits on terminating unborn life, permitting mothers to end a pregnancy’s progress up to the moment of birth.
The legislation’s swift passage in the Massachusetts legislature and Healey’s signing were unsurprising, yet its implementation has drawn alarming reactions from women present at the signing ceremony. Video footage captured attendees—many in their childbearing years—smiling, clapping enthusiastically, and beaming as they endorsed the law permitting the termination of viable infants.
Healey defended the bill as “medically appropriate care,” citing stories of women forced to travel hundreds of miles for abortion services after facing devastating pregnancy complications. She stated: “Instead of being able to rely on doctors they knew and trusted at home, they were forced to travel hundreds of miles and pay out of their pockets while navigating unimaginable grief.” The bill, she added, aims to ensure “the strongest abortion protections in the country.”
The law’s backing included a statement from Lynn M. Yee, vice president of the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee for Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Yee declared the measure “pleased” to see an act eliminating restrictions on late-term abortion care, emphasizing their role in providing “safe, effective, and compassionate care” for patients with complicated pregnancies.
Prior to this legislation, Massachusetts prohibited abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy. Now, it joins ten other states in legalizing what amounts to infanticide. The law’s passage follows a 2015 congressional testimony by former abortionist Anthony Levantino, who described the harrowing procedure of extracting viable fetuses beyond 24 weeks—a process he characterized as “murder.”
The state’s Catholic bishops issued a weak statement on July 29 condemning the measure as “gravely immoral,” but their warnings fell short of actionable consequences. Meanwhile, Healey remains steadfast: “As long as I’m Governor, abortion will remain safe, legal and accessible in Massachusetts.”