WGGB | Getting Answers: reproductive rights in Massachusetts
By Amanda Martin-Ryan and Ryan Trowbridge | Originally Published by Western Mass News
SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Since President-elect Trump secured his return to the oval office, discussions on abortion rights have turned into questions about the GOP’s agenda and, although we’re in a blue state, experts said it’s too early to gauge how much say the states will get on the matter once republicans take control of the House, Senate, and presidency.
“We will always stand up for people’s rights and freedoms where women will have control over their own healthcare decisions,” said Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey.
That’s the promise Healey made to Bay Staters during election week, but are fears of women losing reproductive freedoms justified in Massachusetts? Advocates on both sides of the aisle are seeing eye-to-eye that it’s a very real possibility.
“I think there are some things the Trump Administration can do that, from a federal level, would be very effective, such as going to the FDA, having the Trump FDA banning the abortion pill, for example,” said Michael King, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Family Institute.
“We are concerned about what Donald Trump is going to do in a new administration. He does pose an existential threat to abortion care in every single state, including in Massachusetts,” added Rebecca Hart Holder, CEO of Reproductive Equity Now.
The Massachusetts Family Institute, a Christian non-profit supporting the right to life, and Reproductive Equity Now, a pro-choice organization spread across the state, are both looking to the same avenues in which the Trump Administration can scale back reproductive rights without giving states a say. Those avenues are what the attorney general’s office has already prepared to battle in court as they told us in an off-camera conversation. They shared the top three scenarios they’re focusing on, which Bay Staters should as well:
A federal ban on emergency contraceptives, like mifrepristone.
A reinstatement of the 1873 Comstock act, making it illegal to mail abortion medications or instruments
A redefining of EMTALA, or the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, which requires hospitals to provide enough care to stabilize a patient
While President Biden affirmed abortions are “stabilizing care,” President-elect Trump may change the guidance, so abortions can only be considered stabilizing care in life-or-death situations. If Trump’s administration, including the Department of Justice and the attorney general, seek any of these avenues, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said her office is quote “prepared to use all of the tools at our disposal to protect our constituents when necessary” per an official statement provided to Western Mass News.
However, Reproductive Equity Now said concern has been heightened, not just because of possible federal polices, but also amplified rhetoric of pro-life advocates. Phrases circulating on social media like ‘Your Body My Choice’, in part, are why they’re advising women in the Bay State to protect their digital privacy now just in case. “That means not, for example, tracking your period on a menstrual app. It also means using encrypted messaging apps like Signal if you’re talking about accessing abortion care or contraceptive care. It means limiting what you say on social media,” Hart Holder explained.
Recently in Boston, a men’s anti-abortion march was met by pro-choice counter protesters, leading to the arrests of 14 people. We asked the Massachusetts Family Institute if pro-life demonstrations like this are just drops in the bucket, or instead, indicate a turning of the tides for the state. “We think the future is very bright. We were encouraged to see the shift here in Massachusetts. We believe President Trump can do some amazing things from a federal level even to protect life here in Massachusetts,” King noted.
The A.G.’s office was candid during our conversation and said it’s anybody’s guess how the issue will unfold after January 20. However, what people are doing to prepare right now may offer the best insight. As shown from exit polls, one of the largest voting blocks, with a notable shift to the right, was young men, so we went to the place with arguably the biggest population of that demographic in western Massachusetts: UMass Amherst. “We’re all kind of just preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best,” said UMass Amherst Student Government Association President Colin Humphreys.
Humphreys, a political science major, said anxiety on campus has far outweighed the sense of relief conservative students have. He said his administration is doing what they can to ease the tension. “We’ve already taken a couple preemptive measures. We’ve released a statement, we’ve already passed a resolution affirming our commitment to protecting DEI here on-campus, and as I had mentioned before, we’re working on funding contraceptive vending machines,” he explained.
There’s no denying fear in the unknown, but Massachusetts residents can find solace in the preemptive measures already being taken, along with Healey’s continued affirmations. “We know that Project 2025 is out there. He’s given us a playbook. That said, we don’t know what he’s going to implement yet, but know I stand ready to protect Massachusetts,” she said.
