Massachusetts Legislature Passes Bill Expanding Late-Term Abortion Access, Sends to Governor

The Democrat-controlled Massachusetts Legislature has passed bill H.5595, sending it to Governor Maura Healey. The legislation removes the state's 24-week limit on abortions, replacing specific medical exceptions with the sole professional judgment of the physician. Supporters argue the change prevents hospitals from turning away patients with severe complications, while opponents and religious leaders condemn the bill as a radical measure that allows elective abortions up until birth.

Massachusetts late-term abortion bill

• ▪The Massachusetts Senate passed bill H.5595, "An Act Prioritizing Patient Access to Care," on July 31, 2026, sending it to Governor Maura Healey.
• ▪The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed bill H.5595 by a vote of 119-33, and subsequently enacted it in a 121-35 vote.
• ▪Under current Massachusetts law, abortions after 24 weeks are permitted only to preserve the patient's life, physical or mental health, or in cases of lethal fetal anomalies.
• ▪If signed into law, Massachusetts would join approximately 10 other states and Washington, D.C., that impose no gestational time limits on abortion.
• ▪Bill H.5595 eliminates the state's 24-week limit on abortions, leaving the decision to the professional judgment of the physician alone.

Extended legislative calendar rules

• ▪Under the new legislative norms, lawmakers only need to pass bills in each chamber and enter into six-person conference committees to keep them alive before January.
• ▪Massachusetts lawmakers sent Governor Maura Healey the PROTECT Act, which restricts where federal immigration officers can make civil arrests and allows people to sue agents in state court.

Immigration enforcement restrictions

• ▪The final version of the PROTECT Act included courthouses, public schools, and child care centers as sensitive locations, but excluded houses of worship.
• ▪Massachusetts legislators passed a bill setting new standards for home care workers by creating a new licensure process.

Home care worker standards

• ▪The home care worker legislation was passed alongside a bill allowing the state to seize land under the unfinished Norwood Hospital.
• ▪Massachusetts lawmakers sent Governor Maura Healey a child welfare bill requiring the state to inform children in foster care of money they are owed.

Child welfare foster care

• ▪The child welfare bill includes language regarding Social Security benefits meant for children with disabilities or those who have suffered the death of a parent.
• ▪A $575 million economic development bill remains unfinished in conference committee, with the Senate version containing 365 policy sections compared to the House's version.

Unfinished conference committee bills

• ▪A data privacy proposal, an energy bill affecting the Mass Save program, and a bill banning cellphones in K-12 schools remain incomplete in conference committees.

Perspective of Supporters of H.5595

• ▪Under current Massachusetts law, abortions after 24 weeks are permitted only to preserve the patient's life, physical or mental health, or in cases of lethal fetal anomalies.
• ▪Bill H.5595 eliminates the state's 24-week limit on abortions, leaving the decision to the professional judgment of the physician alone.

Perspective of Opponents of H.5595

• ▪The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed bill H.5595 by a vote of 119-33, and subsequently enacted it in a 121-35 vote.
• ▪If signed into law, Massachusetts would join approximately 10 other states and Washington, D.C., that impose no gestational time limits on abortion.

8 sources