Statement of the ROE Act Coalition
BOSTON– The ROE Act Coalition today released the following statement in response to a recent survey of Massachusetts voters:
“Make no mistake: Bay Staters support the right to safe, legal abortion. Indeed, more than 8 in 10 Massachusetts voters – including among those who identify as Catholic – believe that if a person has decided to have an abortion, it should be safe, legal, affordable, and available without shame or pressure. With unprecedented attacks on abortion care in other states, Massachusetts
voters are counting on their elected leaders to protect abortion access for everyone. Now more than ever, Massachusetts must move reproductive freedom forward and dismantle entrenched barriers that push abortion care out of reach. The ROE Act will ensure all people can make decisions for themselves and access safe, legal abortion without the state dictating when, how, or why.”
Background:
The ROE Act Coalition is a statewide coalition committed to passing the ROE Act to protect and expand access to abortion in Massachusetts. Founding organizations include the ACLU of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts.
The ROE Act (S.1209, H.3320) will improve access to affordable abortion by removing medically unnecessary, burdensome provisions and treating safe, legal abortion as all other health care.
The ROE Act is supported by 114 cosponsors in the House and Senate, and dozens of statewide organizations including Catholics for Choice, Jane Doe Inc., Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, and League of Women Voters Massachusetts.
A recent statewide survey of nearly 2,000 registered voters, conducted by MassINC, found that 78 percent of voters (and 72 percent of Catholics) support a state law to guarantee a legal right to abortion. Seventy-six percent of all voters (and 75 percent of Catholics) support adding an exception to the ban on abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy to protect a woman’s health or in cases where there is a grave fetal anomaly. Voters want Massachusetts to be a model for other states and the country; 85 percent of voters agree that Massachusetts should be a leader in ensuring that a woman who has made a decision to get an abortion is able to get safe, supportive, respectful care in her community.
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