The Massachusetts Medical Society
provided written and oral testimony at a hearing before the state
legislative Joint Committee on the Judiciary on Monday, June 17 in
support of select provisions within H.3320 and S.1209, known
collectively as the ROE Act. This testimony affirmed the Medical
Society’s support of: (1)
eliminating the requirement of parental
or judicial consent for minors seeking abortion; (2) the updating of
medical terminology in our legal code; and (3) the codification of
safety net coverage for abortion. To read our entire
written testimony, click
here.
The Massachusetts Medical Society’s House
of Delegates in May adopted organizational policy pertaining to the
provisions addressed in the aforementioned testimony.
At that meeting, the Medical Society also
considered provisions that would support policies permitting abortions
after 24 weeks of pregnancy in instances of lethal fetal anomalies, and
policy to remove other barriers to abortion.
After careful and thorough discussion, these matters were referred for
further study and resolution, with input from a cross-section of
physician-led medical society leaders and committees. The Medical
Society stands firmly behind the thoughtful, deliberative
process that its members have undertaken to establish its current
policy position and the resulting testimony relative to the ROE Act.
