Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed a new law that removes all time limits on abortions, permitting the procedure at any stage of pregnancy. The legislation, signed on Monday, overturns the state's previous restriction that allowed abortions only up to 24 weeks of gestation. Healey stated that the law establishes the "strongest abortion protections in the country" and aims to support pregnant individuals experiencing medical complications later in pregnancy.
"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 pregnancy," Healey said at a press conference. "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. That should never happen in Massachusetts."
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll described the move as a "step forward" in ensuring access to reproductive healthcare.
The legislation, officially titled the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, will take effect in 90 days. Massachusetts now joins nine other states—Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Vermont—as well as the District of Columbia, in having no limits on abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
Nationwide, 13 states have total abortion bans, while 12 ban abortion at the point of viability, typically around 24 weeks. In contrast, most European countries generally permit abortions before 12 weeks of gestation, with the UK allowing them up to 24 weeks.
Approximately 1.1 million abortions are performed annually in the U.S., according to the Guttmacher Institute. The vast majority of these procedures occur before the 10th week of pregnancy. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that only one percent of abortions are performed at 21 weeks or later.
Late-term abortions, those performed after 21 weeks, are typically attributed to two main factors, according to scientists at the University of California, San Francisco. The first is the late discovery of severe medical conditions in the fetus that may affect its survival outside the womb, such as certain congenital heart defects or spina bifida. The second reason is when individuals face significant barriers to accessing earlier abortions, including homelessness or financial constraints that prevent travel to obtain the procedure elsewhere.
Critics have condemned the bill, with Bruce LeVell, a former Trump administration official, calling it "the destruction of the most vulnerable." Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life, urged efforts to "turn the page on America's ugly chapter of late-term abortion."
Some supporters of abortion rights also expressed reservations. One individual on X stated, "You can be pro-choice and still say that somewhere between an early pregnancy and a pregnancy approaching birth, the moral equation changes."
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, states have had the authority to set their own abortion regulations, leading to a varied legal landscape across the country regarding abortion access.