Abortion Votes Divide Worcester City Council

WORCESTER, MA — Two votes on abortion issues divided the Worcester City Council Tuesday, with several councilors who described themselves as "pro-choice" voting against the measures.

The more hotly debated measure brought to council by At-Large Councilor Thu Nguyen asked the city solicitor and city manager to draft a new local law regulating crisis pregnancy centers, which are facilities that attempt to intercept people seeking abortions by mimicking services offered by clinics like Planned Parenthood.

The second measure asked the council to adopt a resolution supporting "full abortion rights and reproductive equity for all, in opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and does hereby urge state and federal elected officials to codify abortion rights and other reproductive rights."

The resolution also deemed Worcester an abortion sanctuary — meaning local officials would not cooperate in investigations into abortions given to out-of-state residents. Some states are considering laws that would punish people who travel across state lines to get abortions.

The meeting began with more than an hour of public comment, almost entirely focused on Nguyen's proposals. Supporters of the Worcester crisis center Clearway Clinic spoke about how the center offers vital services to women — including support to not seek an abortion.

The centers offer services like ultrasounds and STD testing, but oppose abortion. People who spoke in favor of regulating the crisis centers said they confuse people who are vulnerable and seeking a regular healthcare procedure. Attorney General Maura Healey called the centers "misleading" in a recent consumer warning.

Clearway Clinic CEO Kelly Wilcox told councilors the clinic's advertisements clearly say they don't offer abortion services. But a check of the clinic's marketing material found that language missing.

"Our team is here to discuss the risks and effects of abortion. Our team is here to help you make the right choice. No insurance required. Free ultrasounds," the top Google ad for Clearway Clinic read on Wednesday morning.

Worcester's other crisis center, Problem Pregnancy, has a line on the very bottom of its webpage saying it "does not perform or refer for abortions."

Councilors debated the issue at length. At-Large Councilors Kate Toomey, Donna Colorio and Moe Bergman all said that regulating crisis clinics would be tantamount to restricting free speech rights. Bergman said he was not convinced that the crisis clinics act deceptively.

"These organizations should have the freedom to continue to operate without interference," Colorio said.

District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson and District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera both said they are pro-choice, but couldn't support regulating the crisis clinics. Mero-Carlson said her belief in choice extends to choosing a crisis center over an abortion clinic.

"If this item was something, and it was written in a way to send it to the law department and not to limit a choice for some, but not for all, I absolutely could've supported this," Mero-Carlson said. "But again I think saying some have a choice and some do not, I don't know how we talk about equity at all. I am befuddled to be honest over this tonight."

Nguyen's order asked for an ordinance to be drafted for council review, which means no laws were changed in Worcester following Tuesday's vote. Nguyen, District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, At-Large Councilor Khrystian King, District 1 Councilor Sean Rose, District 3 Councilor George Russell and Mayor Joseph Petty voted in favor of the item.

"People deserve passionate, medically accurate and unbiased medical care," Nguyen said.

Nguyen's resolution stating the city's support for abortion access also passed in a 7 to 3 vote, with Bergman abstaining and Mero-Carlson, Toomey and Colorio voting no.

Colorio's two no votes were especially poignant in a wider political context. As vice chair of the city council, Colorio could become Worcester's next mayor if Petty wins his bid for the 1st Worcester state Senate seat. That seat is now held by Harriette Chandler, a champion of abortion rights and coauthor of a raft of abortion reforms passed by the state Legislature in 2020.

Apart from his yes votes, Petty spoke pointedly about the need to strengthen abortion protections. Robyn Kennedy, a former YWCA executive, is also running for Chandler's seat and has strongly advocated for strengthening abortion access.

"Don't fool yourself, they're coming to Massachusetts next," Petty said Tuesday, referring to states that are passing laws restricting abortion access, even outside their borders.