Senator Lewis and Mass. Legislature Vote to Keep Government Out of Doctor’s Appointments

BOSTON—State Senator Jason Lewis joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to expand reproductive healthcare for Massachusetts residents and ensure that healthcare professionals and patients have more control over personal health by removing legal restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

According to Reproductive Equity Now, under current law, dozens of Massachusetts patients each year are forced to leave the state to access abortion care after 24 weeks, even in cases involving devastating diagnoses or risks to the patient’s life.

The decision to terminate a pregnancy is often in response to a medical emergency or a diagnosis incompatible with life. This legislation ensures that the decision to have an abortion later in pregnancy remains between a patient and their healthcare providers, without interference from the government.

“When a family learns the devastating news late in pregnancy that they won’t be able to deliver a healthy baby into the world, they shouldn’t be forced to travel to another state to safely end the pregnancy,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “This legislation expands reproductive healthcare in the commonwealth and puts the advice of healthcare providers above the will of politicians.”

After passing in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, Governor Maura Healey signed the bill into law on August 10, 2026.