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Massachusetts group seeks to overturn 'extreme' abortion law
A newly-formed group in Massachusetts is pushing back against the state's law allowing abortion for any reason up to birth, filing petition paperwork as the initial step toward repealing the law in the state's 2028 election cycle.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a law last month allowing abortion to birth for any reason, provided a doctor approves.
A new coalition formed by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action is attempting to collect petition signatures to force a referendum seeking to repeal the extreme abortion law.
Massachusetts had already been one of the most liberal abortion states in the country, allowing abortion for any reason up to 24 weeks and after that time for certain exceptions — including the "mental health" of the mother.
In August, that law was extended even further, as Governor Maura Healey signed H.5595 (also known as Chapter 188), which allows abortion up to birth for any reason, provided a doctor signs off on it.
The outcry against the newly signed law was swift.
The Massachusetts Catholic bishops called the law "a radical measure which is gravely immoral," and SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser called it "extreme," noting that Massachusetts is now one of only 10 states, along with Washington, D.C., with an "all trimester abortion policy."
Even several of the state's Democrats voted against the bill; State Rep. Chris Markey said it goes “beyond the norms of acceptability.”
“I am deeply disappointed in the passage of this bill. This bill creates a very slippery slope. I believe this law puts doctors in a very difficult ethical dilemma, as well as conflicts with long-standing criminal case law,” Markey told Fox News Digital. “While many are pro-choice, you can still be pro-choice and see this law as going beyond the norms of acceptability.”
Now, Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action have formed a new group called the Compassionate Care Coalition, with the aim of overturning the expanded abortion law. The group filed a referendum petition last week with Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office that would repeal H.5595.
Sam Miele, Committee Chair of Compassionate Care Coalition, said that it wasn't necessary to expand the state's previous abortion law in order to protect women. He explained:
“The law in effect today already allows the physical and mental health of the mother to be considered when an abortion after 24 weeks is contemplated. For proponents of Chapter 188 and the Governor to claim that removing these safeguards was necessary to save women’s lives is completely false. Protections for women already existed in the previous law. Protections for viable babies also existed. The new No Limits Abortion law destroys those protections.”
Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, also spoke of the law.
“Before the ink dried on Governor Healey’s politicized signature, we started receiving messages from outraged residents across the state, people sickened that Healey had legalized abortion up to birth for healthy mothers and healthy, pain-capable infants,” she said. “Every person who contacted us wanted us to ‘do something’ to restore protections for viable, fully formed babies.”
A spokesperson from Secretary of State Galvin's office told the Boston Herald the coalition would need to submit 37,289 signatures to local election officials by Oct. 23 to get them certified and make the ballot for 2028. Petitions would be due with Galvin’s office on November 6. More signatures would be needed moving forward.
The Boston Herald explained how the referendum petition process works in the state:
Under the Massachusetts law, a referendum petition seeking to suspend a current law must collect certified signatures equal to 2% of the votes cast for governor in the preceding biennial state election. For this cycle, that threshold is 49,716 certified signatures. If that threshold is met, Chapter 188 will be suspended and submitted to voters for repeal at the next statewide election.
The petition next heads to Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office for review.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
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·Massachusetts group seeks to overturn 'extreme' abortion law
A newly-formed group in Massachusetts is pushing back against the state's law allowing abortion for any reason up to birth, filing petition paperwork as the initial step toward repealing the law in the state's 2028 election cycle.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a law last month allowing abortion to birth for any reason, provided a doctor approves.
A new coalition formed by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action is attempting to collect petition signatures to force a referendum seeking to repeal the extreme abortion law.
Massachusetts had already been one of the most liberal abortion states in the country, allowing abortion for any reason up to 24 weeks and after that time for certain exceptions — including the "mental health" of the mother.
In August, that law was extended even further, as Governor Maura Healey signed H.5595 (also known as Chapter 188), which allows abortion up to birth for any reason, provided a doctor signs off on it.
The outcry against the newly signed law was swift.
The Massachusetts Catholic bishops called the law "a radical measure which is gravely immoral," and SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser called it "extreme," noting that Massachusetts is now one of only 10 states, along with Washington, D.C., with an "all trimester abortion policy."
Even several of the state's Democrats voted against the bill; State Rep. Chris Markey said it goes “beyond the norms of acceptability.”
“I am deeply disappointed in the passage of this bill. This bill creates a very slippery slope. I believe this law puts doctors in a very difficult ethical dilemma, as well as conflicts with long-standing criminal case law,” Markey told Fox News Digital. “While many are pro-choice, you can still be pro-choice and see this law as going beyond the norms of acceptability.”
Now, Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action have formed a new group called the Compassionate Care Coalition, with the aim of overturning the expanded abortion law. The group filed a referendum petition last week with Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office that would repeal H.5595.
Sam Miele, Committee Chair of Compassionate Care Coalition, said that it wasn't necessary to expand the state's previous abortion law in order to protect women. He explained:
“The law in effect today already allows the physical and mental health of the mother to be considered when an abortion after 24 weeks is contemplated. For proponents of Chapter 188 and the Governor to claim that removing these safeguards was necessary to save women’s lives is completely false. Protections for women already existed in the previous law. Protections for viable babies also existed. The new No Limits Abortion law destroys those protections.”
Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, also spoke of the law.
“Before the ink dried on Governor Healey’s politicized signature, we started receiving messages from outraged residents across the state, people sickened that Healey had legalized abortion up to birth for healthy mothers and healthy, pain-capable infants,” she said. “Every person who contacted us wanted us to ‘do something’ to restore protections for viable, fully formed babies.”
A spokesperson from Secretary of State Galvin's office told the Boston Herald the coalition would need to submit 37,289 signatures to local election officials by Oct. 23 to get them certified and make the ballot for 2028. Petitions would be due with Galvin’s office on November 6. More signatures would be needed moving forward.
The Boston Herald explained how the referendum petition process works in the state:
Under the Massachusetts law, a referendum petition seeking to suspend a current law must collect certified signatures equal to 2% of the votes cast for governor in the preceding biennial state election. For this cycle, that threshold is 49,716 certified signatures. If that threshold is met, Chapter 188 will be suspended and submitted to voters for repeal at the next statewide election.
The petition next heads to Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office for review.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Right to Life UK
·Politics
Cassy Cooke
·International
Right to Life UK
·Politics
Cassy Cooke
·Guest Column
Liberty Counsel
·Politics
Cassy Cooke
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·Investigative
Bridget Sielicki
·Investigative
Bridget Sielicki
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·