Reproductive Equity Now Applauds Massachusetts Senate Vote to Strengthen Shield Law

Boston Globe: Shield Law expansion would further protect providers, emergency abortion care, and gender-affirming care

BOSTON (June 26, 2025) – Reproductive Equity Now’s President Rebecca Hart Holder released a statement after the Massachusetts State Senate voted 37-3 today to engross S.2538, An Act strengthening health care protections in the Commonwealth. This critical legislation would expand the state’s telehealth shield law by prohibiting all state actors from cooperating with any out-of-state hostile litigation, establishing state-level EMTALA protections for emergency abortion care, allowing providers critical anonymity by using their practice name on prescription labels for reproductive and gender affirming health care medicines, and ensuring all clinicians and lawyers are protected from professional discipline related to hostile litigation, and more. 

“With today’s vote, Massachusetts is reinforcing its legacy of safeguarding abortion care despite ever-evolving and escalating efforts from a hostile federal administration to empower anti-abortion extremists and undermine access to reproductive health care and our fundamental right to bodily autonomy nationwide,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. “With the passage of S.2538, the Massachusetts State Senate has voted to further strengthen our best-in-the-nation shield protections for providers and patients in the Commonwealth. We are grateful for the leadership of Senate President Spilka, Senator Friedman, Attorney General Campbell, and all of our legislative champions in the Senate, and look forward to working with our champions in the House to continue to advance this critical legislation.”

Earlier this month, Reproductive Equity Now’s Senior Director of Policy and Programs, Claire Teylouni, testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary during a public hearing in support of this legislation.

The bill is part of Reproductive Equity Now’s Massachusetts 2025 legislative priorities, which include expanding access to abortion care throughout pregnancy, protecting patients’ and providers' digital privacy, and making the full spectrum of pregnancy care more affordable.

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