Governor Healey Signs Legislation Removing Massachusetts’ Arbitrary Abortion Ban
Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act will expand abortion access throughout pregnancy
Boston, MA (August 10, 2026) – Today, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act into law, legislation that would expand abortion access throughout pregnancy in Massachusetts by removing the arbitrary restriction on abortion care after 24 weeks.
“Today, Massachusetts reaffirmed that patients—not politicians—should make personal medical decisions,” said Claire Teylouni, interim co-Executive Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “We are deeply grateful to Governor Healey for signing the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act into law and ensuring that patients facing complex pregnancies can receive the care they need here in the Commonwealth. This landmark legislation removes an arbitrary barrier to care and strengthens Massachusetts’ leadership as a state committed to protecting reproductive freedom. At a time when abortion access is under attack across the country, this law sends a powerful message: Massachusetts will continue to trust patients, support providers, and lead with compassion.”
“I've heard heartbreaking stories from women and families who were preparing to welcome a healthy baby into their family, only to receive devastating news later in their pregnancy. Instead of being able to rely on the 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,” said Governor Healey. “That should never happen in Massachusetts. This law continues our efforts to have the strongest abortion protections in the country because in Massachusetts, we believe health care decisions should be made between women and their doctors.”
The Massachusetts legislature passed this legislation on the last day of session in July. Last July, the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Public Health held a public hearing on the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, where patients and providers shared testimony and personal stories about the urgency of this legislation.
Prior to this law, Massachusetts statute governing abortion care later in pregnancy prohibited care after 24 weeks of pregnancy unless the care meets one of four qualifying exceptions. Despite progress made in the ROE Act and in the 2022 Shield Law to expand access to abortion later in pregnancy, dozens of patients were still forced to travel out of state for abortion later in pregnancy every year.
Multiple providers estimate that they see as many as one patient per month who must leave the state if they decide to seek abortion care after 24 weeks, leaving Reproductive Equity Now to estimate that dozens of patients annually are forced to travel out of state for this care. Additionally, the abortion funds have shared some data that supports this estimation: the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts testified at July's hearing on this legislation that they pledged to financially assist 16 patients to leave the state for later abortion between January and June of 2025, and the funds supported 5 patients leaving the state in January of this year.
In March 2025, Reproductive Equity Now Foundation unveiled polling showing that two in three (66%) Massachusetts voters support expanding abortion access throughout pregnancy based on the professional judgment of a licensed physician. The poll affirmed Bay Staters’ support for keeping health care decisions between patients and their doctors.
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