Erin Tiernan: Abortion rights wins victory in Massachusetts House

Nov. 13--Expansion of abortion access in Massachusetts took a first step forward on Thursday when House lawmakers overwhelmingly approved an amendment to their proposed state budget.

"In the wake of the threat to reproductive rights for women on the national level, I'm proud of the House vote to remove barriers to women's reproductive health options and protect the concepts enshrined in Roe v. Wade," House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in a statement after the vote.

Members passed the amendment 108 to 49 -- a hair above the two-thirds majority the Legislature would need to override a likely veto by Gov. Charlie Baker.

The move comes 47 years after the Supreme Court ruled women have a constitutional right to safe, legal abortions without excessive government interference in the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and after state legislative leaders voiced a new sense of urgency following the confirmation of President Trump appointee Amy Coney Barrett.

Fears the conservative-leaning Supreme Court could overturn the long-standing Roe v. Wade ruling have spurred a flurry of legislation in states seeking to protect abortion access.

If successful, the amendment would enshrine the right to abortion in state law as well as expand access to abortions after 24 weeks in cases of fatal fetal anomalies -- not just when necessary to save a woman's life. It would also no longer require women under age 18 to gain permission from a parent or judge to get an abortion.

The ROE Act Coalition, which includes the ACLU of Massachusetts, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, called the move a "critical first step in removing medically unnecessary barriers to abortion."

The amendment mirrors a bill -- "An Act to Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access" -- that has been stalled in the Legislature's Joint Committee on the Judiciary since spring of 2019.

The amendment was submitted by Committee on the Judiciary Chairwoman Claire Cronin who called on lawmakers to "act on something that may be contrary to the teachings of... faith."

Bellingham Republican Rep. Michael Soter shared personal stories and spoke in opposition of removing parental consent saying, "Yes, I am pro-life, but that's not why I'm speaking to you tonight."

It's the first in a series of positive votes the measure must earn to become law before the current legislative session ends on Dec. 31.

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