Gov. Maura Healey marked the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade by signing an executive order on Monday to protect access to emergency abortion care in Massachusetts.
“Today is really about making clear that women’s rights, the freedom of choice, the freedom of reproductive choice is not negotiable here in Massachusetts,” Healey said during a press conference, according to NBC10 Boston. “We will protect it, we will defend it.
According to the governor’s office, the executive order reaffirms that Massachusetts law provides the right to prompt treatment in emergencies, including for abortion care, “without discrimination on account of economic status or source of payment.”
Advertisement:The order also reaffirms that state law “protects the right to an abortion, protects providers and pharmacists from professional licensure consequences and out-of-state legal actions for providing reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services in Massachusetts, and protects patients from out-of-state legal actions when seeking those services.”
The governor’s office linked the issuance of the executive order to the expectation that the Supreme Court will rule this week on whether states can enact bans, as Idaho has, on abortions even in medical emergencies where the pregnant woman’s life is in danger.
“Two years ago, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, I pledged to the people of Massachusetts that we were going to protect and expand reproductive freedom,” Healey said in a statement. “Working together with our Legislature and incredible health care providers and advocates, we’ve done just that. But with continued attacks on women’s health and freedom across the country, and the Supreme Court poised to rule any day now in a case that could prevent pregnant women from receiving emergency, life-saving treatment, we must continue to act. That’s why I’m signing an Executive Order today affirming that Massachusetts patients will continue to receive emergency abortion care at our hospitals regardless of the Supreme Court’s ruling.”
Advertisement:At Monday’s press conference, Healey further pledged that should a national abortion ban ever become law, Massachusetts would “absolutely not” enforce it, according to the The Boston Globe.
“I won’t put one dime or any energy or effort or personnel into enforcing laws that are a direct violation of a woman’s freedom and autonomy,” she said.
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