Gov. Maura Healey signed the Massachusetts abortion law, the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, and said it removes gestational limits on abortion in the state. The new measure allows the procedure up to birth and takes effect in 90 days.
Healey signed the bill while speaking to an applauding crowd, then tied it to a basic rule for later-pregnancy care: “We believe that health care decisions should be made between women and families and their doctors, not politicians.”
Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act
The law replaces Massachusetts’ previous general 24-week limit, which had included limited exceptions. Under the new framework, health care workers have greater discretion in deciding whether to perform an abortion later in pregnancy, shifting the decision from a fixed cutoff to case-by-case medical judgment.
Healey said the bill is intended to keep abortion safe, legal and accessible in Massachusetts. She also said families facing medical complications late in pregnancy can seek abortions in the state rather than traveling out of state.
Massachusetts joins 10 states
Massachusetts now joins Alaska, Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont, along with the District of Columbia, in removing gestational age limits on abortion. Healey said the legislation is meant to stand with women, and she added, “I stand with women. My opponents do not.”
She also cast the bill as part of a larger state-level response after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, saying, “It is up to the states to lead.” For patients and providers, the practical shift arrives when the law takes effect in 90 days, replacing the old cutoff with a broader standard that leaves later-pregnancy decisions to clinicians and families.
