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House votes to ease Massachusetts' late-term abortion restrictions

Mike Deehan

Illustration of the Massachusetts State House with lines radiating from it. — Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

The Massachusetts House voted to loosen restrictions on abortions later in pregnancy on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The bill replaces the state's current four-part test for abortions at 24 weeks or later that requires the procedure be necessary to preserve life or health, or tied to a fetal diagnosis.

It swaps in broader language allowing an abortion "based upon the professional judgment of the physician."

The latest: Supporters, including major hospital systems like Mass General Brigham and Beth Israel Lahey Health, say the current framework can force some patients with severe complications to travel out of state for care.

Advocacy group Reproductive Equity Now says the change would let physicians address the wide range of complications that can arise late in pregnancy.

The other side: Opponents argue it strips away meaningful safeguards.

Rep. Joseph McKenna called the change an unnecessary expansion of abortion access.

By the numbers: Massachusetts recorded 99 abortions at 24 weeks or later in 2024, up from 84 the year before, according to state Department of Public Health data as reported by the State House News Service.

What's next: A companion Senate version of the bill has sat with that chamber's Ways and Means Committee since March.

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House votes to ease Massachusetts' late-term abortion restrictions

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