BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey signed the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act into a law on Monday morning.
The new law eliminates barriers to abortion later in pregnancy, ensuring that patients experiencing serious pregnancy complications can receive medically appropriate care from their medical providers they “know and trust here in Massachusetts,” according to Healey.
The law also helps patients get the care they need in Massachusetts instead of forcing them to travel out of state.
“Abortion care is health care, and thanks to this new law, pregnant patients in Massachusetts will no longer have to travel far from their home state to access the care they need,” said Carl Rose, executive director at the ACLU of Massachusetts.
“At a time when reproductive freedom is under relentless attack across the nation, this new law ensures that our commonwealth remains at the forefront of the movement to protect and expand civil liberties in the United States.”
“Today, mothers and fathers and families who experience these devastating diagnoses, and they are devastating, heartbreaking...now they’ll be able to make their own choices, they’ll be able to get the care that they need, right here in Massachusetts,” said Healey.
The law will remove the 24-week limit on abortions and will rely on professional judgement from physicians.
Under the previous law, physicians were required to determine whether a patient’s circumstances met a list of exceptions before providing abortion care later in pregnancy.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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