Massachusetts Senate Passes Legislation Repealing Gestational Ban

Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act would expand abortion access throughout pregnancy

Legislation will soon move to Governor Healey's desk for final signature

Boston (July 31, 2025) – Today, the Massachusetts Senate passed the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, legislation sponsored by Senator Robyn Kennedy that would expand abortion access throughout pregnancy in Massachusetts by removing the arbitrary restriction on abortion care after 24 weeks. This legislation will soon head to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey’s desk for signature.

“We are celebrating a historic victory for patients across Massachusetts,” said Claire Teylouni, interim co-Executive Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “With the Legislature’s passage of the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, Massachusetts has taken a monumental step toward ensuring that no patient is forced to leave the Commonwealth to receive essential abortion care. At its core, this legislation is about trusting women and patients, respecting the expertise of physicians, and keeping politicians out of deeply personal medical decisions. We are deeply grateful to our bill sponsors Senator Robyn Kennedy and Representatives Christine Barber and Lindsay Sabadosa, and Senate President Karen Spilka, Speaker Ronald Mariano, Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, Senator Cindy Friedman, and the countless legislative champions, advocates, physicians, patients, and supporters whose tireless work made this day possible. Today, Massachusetts has reaffirmed its commitment to putting patients first, and we look forward to seeing this landmark legislation signed into law.”

The Massachusetts House passed this legislation last week. 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. 

"As the Trump Administration ramps up attacks on reproductive care and abortion access nationwide, Massachusetts must continue closing gaps in care so that women have full autonomy over the care they need, when and where they need it," said Senator Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester). "The Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act ensures Massachusetts patients do not have to leave the Commonwealth to get the care they need, and empowers physicians to support their patients throughout their pregnancies. I am grateful to my colleagues for passing this bill."

“Massachusetts residents deserve to have access to the care they need as determined through consultation with trusted, trained medical professionals, without interference from individuals wholly separate from the care of patients and the practice of medicine," said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. "This change in language ensures that the intent of our law is clear — these sensitive and serious decisions should only be made between a patient and their provider. No one should have to leave Massachusetts to receive essential reproductive health care, and I am proud to vote in favor of this legislation that will strengthen our state’s commitment to reproductive freedom.” 

Reproductive Equity Now is also proud to uplift support for this legislation from fellow advocates:

“We are very grateful that today the Massachusetts legislature passed this bill to remove arbitrary barriers to essential reproductive health care. Once signed, the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act will allow patients to make decisions about their own reproductive health care alongside their trusted team of physicians and medical professionals right here at home — this is how health care can and should work. We thank Senator Robyn Kennedy for sponsoring this momentous legislation in the Senate as well as the champions in the House, Representatives Christine Barber and Lindsey Sabadosa. On behalf of my fellow ob-gyns working to ensure access, we gratefully acknowledge the tireless advocacy of those personally affected by abortion restrictions to move this bill forward so that all Bay Staters will have access to the care they need,” said Chloe Zera, MD, MPH, FACOG, Chair of ACOG Massachusetts Section.

"The Massachusetts Medical Society applauds the Legislature for passing this important legislation, which ensures that complex medical decisions are guided by established clinical standards, medical ethics, and the informed professional judgment of physicians. When abortion care is clinically indicated later in pregnancy, patients deserve informed, compassionate, and individualized medical care — and that is exactly what this legislation protects. We are grateful to bill sponsors Senator Robyn Kennedy and Representatives Christine Barber and Lindsay Sabadosa, as well as Senate President Karen Spilka, Speaker Ronald Mariano, Senator Cindy Friedman, and Chair Aaron Michlewitz, for their leadership in prioritizing patient access to evidence-based abortion care. We urge Governor Healey to sign this legislation so that no patient is forced to leave Massachusetts to access safe and medically appropriate abortion care,” said The Massachusetts Medical Society President Dr. Rebecca Brendel.

"The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine is pleased to see the passage of An Act prioritizing patient access to care, which eliminates restrictions on abortion care later in pregnancy. As experts in high-risk pregnancy, we are trained to provide safe, effective, and compassionate care — including abortion care — for patients facing complicated pregnancies. Historically, the Commonwealth’s laws have interfered with healthcare providers’ ability to provide evidence-based care for their patients, forcing many patients to travel out of state for care. By expanding access to abortion care later in pregnancy, this act ensures Massachusetts patients can access high-quality, equitable reproductive healthcare in their communities,” said Lynn M. Yee, MD, MPH; Vice Chair, Health Policy and Advocacy Committee, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

"This vote is a vital step toward advancing reproductive freedom and expanding access to health care in Massachusetts. We thank the Senate for moving quickly to protect pregnant patients by ensuring they can get the care they need right here in the Commonwealth, without arbitrary barriers. We urge Gov. Healey to sign this bill and keep Massachusetts in the vanguard of protecting civil liberties and expanding health care access," said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts.

“Passage of this bill brings us one step closer to realizing true reproductive freedom in Massachusetts,” said Dominique Lee, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. “At a time when many states are banning abortion and endangering the lives of pregnant people, Massachusetts lawmakers are strengthening reproductive rights and expanding access to compassionate care. We are grateful to Senator Robyn Kennedy, Senate President Spilka, Senator Cindy Friedman, and the many lawmakers who voted to advance this important bill, and urge Governor Healey to sign it into law.” 

Massachusetts current statute governing abortion care later in pregnancy prohibits 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 are 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.

###