{"id":196172,"date":"2019-02-11T10:28:35","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T16:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=196172"},"modified":"2019-02-09T17:30:35","modified_gmt":"2019-02-09T23:30:35","slug":"massachusetts-new-york-third-trimester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/massachusetts-new-york-third-trimester\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts set to follow New York in expanding third trimester abortion"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

After New York State passed one of the most expansive and and sweeping abortion laws in the country, Massachusetts is poised to follow in its footsteps. The Remove Obstacles and Expand Abortion Access Act, or the ROE Act<\/a>, would extend the ability to procure an abortion in Massachusetts after 24 weeks, as well as remove key protections for viable babies that survive abortions. The law also broadens the meaning of a mother\u2019s health to include mental health and removes the section of Massachusetts law requiring a minor to get parental consent before having an abortion.<\/p>\n

Current law in Massachusetts permits abortions after 24 weeks only in cases of a \u201cgrave impairment of her physical or mental health.\u201d The proposed law would remove any limitations or qualifier. Section 12P of the existing law<\/a> specifically includes protection for babies who survive an abortion procedure with a requirement for life-saving equipment to be on hand in cases for abortions of viable babies. The proposed law specifically deletes this requirement<\/em>, thus opening the door to de facto infanticide of viable babies surviving abortion. The text of the proposed law reads as follows (emphasis added):<\/p>\n

A physician, acting within their lawful scope of practice, may perform an abortion when, according to the physician\u2019s best medical judgment based on the facts of the patient\u2019s case, the patient is beyond twenty-four weeks from the commencement of pregnancy and the abortion is necessary to protect the patient\u2019s life or physical or mental health<\/strong>, or in cases of lethal fetal anomalies, or where the fetus is incompatible with sustained life<\/strong> outside the uterus.<\/em><\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0As politicians applaud abortion, more women are injured by late-term facility<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Melanie Israel, a research associate at the Heritage Foundation, raised the alarm about the proposed changes that remove protection of infants in an interview with the Washington Examiner<\/a>: \u201c[It] can be so loosely interpreted that it can be anything from, a woman is feeling overwhelmed about what the postpartum process is going to be like \u2026 That could be reason enough to have a late-term abortion based on these new, much more loose definitions.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also expressed concern about what the loose language around \u201cfetal abnormalities\u201d could mean for mothers and babies especially in light of the \u201cmental health\u201d concerns. \u201c[They] can be anything from something that is going to be a life-limiting condition to the fetus, or based on how loosely these definitions are, it can be something like Down syndrome,\u201d Israel said.<\/p>\n

According to the bill\u2019s sponsor, State Sen. Harriette Chandler, \u201cThe ROE Act breaks down barriers to ensure that women are able to receive appropriate medical care, according to a physician\u2019s best judgment, in tragic circumstances when there are lethal abnormalities or a risk to the woman\u2019s life during the course of a pregnancy. The law should reflect that these are very difficult decisions that should be made between a woman and her doctor,\u201d she said to the Examiner, leaving out<\/em> the very important addition of “mental health” in her description.<\/p>\n

\n

No parental consent means protection for sex traffickers, pimps and rapists. This is absolutely dangerous for women and children. https:\/\/t.co\/h721gc0Jum<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rev. Jeff Springer (@revspringer1) February 9, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n