The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) extends its sincere gratitude to Governor Charlie Baker and our legislative leadership, including House Speaker Ronald Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, Sen. Cindy Friedman, and Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, for their leadership in passing into law An Act expanding protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care. This comprehensive legislation demonstrates the Commonwealth’s continued commitment to protect and expand access to critical reproductive health care services, including abortion, and gender-affirming care. This new law establishes meaningful protections for physicians, providers, and our patients as we collectively navigate a post-Roe landscape.
The MMS believes that health care is a basic human right and strives for equity in access to and quality of care. The MMS applauds provisions of this law requiring insurance coverage for abortion services without cost-sharing, which will make meaningful strides toward increasing access to abortion services, especially for marginalized populations who have historically faced the most significant obstacles in accessing care. This legislation importantly provides physicians discretion to use their best medical judgment to offer the full scope of options for their patients who are facing a devasting medical diagnosis later in pregnancy, so that no one has to travel out of state to access abortion care. Protecting equitable access to reproductive health care, including abortion, and the right to seek the trusted guidance of a physician are essential to the health and well-being of all who may become pregnant. This law is so important for providers and patients because no one should fear legal or professional consequences for providing or accessing evidence-based reproductive health services. Critically, by establishing new legal and professional protections for physicians and other providers, this law ensures Massachusetts remains a bedrock for access to critical reproductive health care services.
-Theodore A. Calianos, II, MD, FACS, President, Massachusetts Medical Society
