Supreme Court paves way for states to curb abortion rights. Here’s what it means for Massachusetts

BOSTON — The United States Supreme Court on Friday voted in favor of a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after the fifteenth week of pregnancy, paving the way for many sates to dramatically curb their current abortion rights.

BREAKING UPDATES: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

The ruling from the court on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization effectively overturns the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, returning legal authority on abortion to individual states and allowing them to remove or strictly limit access to abortions.

Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution generally protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion.

In Massachusetts, abortion will remain legal, despite the Supreme Court’s decision. The Massachusetts Supreme Court has recognized the right to abortion under the state’s constitution, and in 2021 Massachusetts passed comprehensive abortion rights legislation, according to the New York Times.

Massachusetts law states that abortion is legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and beyond 24 weeks in certain situations, according to the Center for Productive Rights.

Massachusetts law does restrict the provision of abortion care at 24 weeks of pregnancy to licensed physicians and to circumstances where the patient’s life or health is at risk or the fetus has a lethal genetic anomaly.

Massachusetts law also generally requires that one parent or guardian or a judge consent to a minor’s abortion if the young person is under 16.

RELATED: What does an overturn of Roe v. Wade mean for New England states?

In May, a leaked draft opinion published by Politico had indicated most of the court was leaning toward voting to abolish federal abortion rights.

Mississippi’s ban on abortion starting at 15 weeks of pregnancy was previously blocked by lower courts that ruled the it was in violation of the precedent set by Roe v. Wade.

Twenty-six states are likely to have total or close to complete bans on abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.

Additionally, 13 states have trigger laws in place that ban or restrict abortion the moment the court overturns Roe v. Wade.

No New England states have these trigger laws in place.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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