Massachusetts Set to Legalize Abortion Up to Birth

The Massachusetts state legislature is set to vote on legislation which would legalize abortion up to birth following the lead of New York and Virginia who have voted on similar legislation.

The New York legislature approved a bill allowing for abortion to be legalized to the point of birth, and then in Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said “When we talk about third-trimester abortions, these are done with the consent of obviously the mother, with the consent of the physicians, more than one physician, by the way,” Northam said. “And it’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that’s non-viable. So in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. So I think this was really blown out of proportion.”

The Bill, SD 109, all0ws viable late-term babies to be aborted for any vaguely-defined “health reason.” The bill also repeals the law that requires a girl under the age of 18 to get the consent of a parent to abort a baby. The Bill is called the Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access Act, the ROE Act.

Massachusetts State Senator Harriette Chandler, a sponsor of the bill, told the Washington Examiner:

“The ROE Act breaks down barriers to ensure that women are able to receive appropriate medical care, according to a physician’s best judgment, in tragic circumstances when there are lethal abnormalities or a risk to the woman’s life during the course of a pregnancy,” Chandler said. “The law should reflect that these are very difficult decisions that should be made between a woman and her doctor.” This bill has 20 state senators backing it, and 100 members of the Massachusetts House have Co-Sponsored the bill.

The bill has a good chance to pass as Democrats control 127 of 160 House seats, and 34 of 40 Senate seats. Governor Charlie Baker (R), a pro-choice moderate, is unlikely to veto the bill.