Overview
- Gov. Maura Healey filed an emergency preamble that made Chapter 188 effective immediately on Nov. 8, preventing the usual suspension that would follow a citizen repeal petition.
- The new statute removes previous gestational limits and declares that abortions at any point in pregnancy may be provided based on a physician’s professional judgment.
- Organizers have submitted more than 100,000 signatures to place a repeal question before voters, which meets the threshold to trigger a 2028 referendum if signatures are certified.
- The four Catholic bishops of Massachusetts publicly rebuked Healey for invoking her faith to justify the action and called the law “radically permissive,” though they stopped short of formal canonical penalties.
- Doctors and patients will have immediate access under the law, advocates say, while the broader legal and political dispute over the emergency use and the 2028 ballot question could shape access and policy going forward.