A radical Massachusetts bill that would end nearly all restrictions on abortion in the state would also allow girls of any age to “consent” to an abortion without informing parents or requiring their consent.
“An Act Enhancing Access to Abortion Care” (HB1599/SB1114) states:
A pregnant person’s signature on the consent form shall not be deemed invalid due to the pregnant person’s age. No waiting period shall be imposed between the execution of the consent form and the performance of the abortion.
The bill also removes any health and safety requirements prior to the execution of an abortion which is referred to as “health services” and “medical care”:
No pregnant person shall be required, as a precondition to receiving health-related information, health services or medical care, to: (i) wait for any period of time, beyond the standard of care or as may be operationally necessary, after executing the informed consent form required by this chapter to initiate an abortion or abortion-related care; (ii) undergo an ultrasound inconsistent with the standard of care; (iii) review, see, or hear the results of an ultrasound; (iv) appear at a provider facility for purposes of receiving an abortion or abortion related care more frequently or for a longer duration than is consistent with the standard of care; or (v) receive counseling or information in any format or medium that is medically inaccurate, medically unnecessary, or misleading.
The legislation continues with the removal of safety requirements for abortion clinics in which a woman or girl suffers complications from an abortion:
Provider facilities shall not be required to: (i) affiliate in any way with, or be constructed within a specified distance of, a hospital … (ii) construct or maintain medically unnecessary physical structures, sizes, or spaces; (iii) hire only providers with admitting privileges at a hospital …or (iv) comply with any other medically unnecessary physical or operational standards or requirements.
“HB1599/SB1114 would eliminate nearly all restrictions on abortion in Massachusetts, would make an abortion more dangerous for women, would allow girls of any age to obtain abortions without parental consent, and more,” states Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI).
“If passed this bill would undermine parental rights, eliminate conscientious objections to performing abortions and safety regulations for dangerous late-term abortions, and target pregnancy resource centers,” the pro-life, pro-family organization explains further its opposition to the measure.
In its brief about the bill, MFI specified that removing the requirements of parental notification and consent for a young teen’s abortion can have dangerous consequences.
“Current law requires parental consent or a judge’s permission for abortions when the pregnant girl is under 16 years of age,” MFI notes, which is “also the legal age of consent for sexual activity in MA, which means this new provision would specifically remove protections for victims of statutory rape, making it exponentially easier for sex traffickers and child rapists to hide their crimes by forcing their victims to obtain abortions.”
The brief adds the bill would also “require school-based health centers to keep information or treatment related to minor students’ abortions confidential from parents.”
In June, the German-owned Politico wrote about Governor Maura Healey (D-MA), the state’s first openly lesbian governor, that, having spent the month of June posting “pride” digital ad billboards in Texas and Florida, showcasing photos of LGBTQ couples with the message, “Massachusetts: For Us All,” the former Bay State attorney general has focused almost entirely on “protecting abortion and LGTBQ rights” as governor.
Healey, Politico reported, has led “the charge of blue-state governors stockpiling the abortion pill mifepristone in the face of court challenges potentially restricting access to the drug.”
Mass Live reported July 7:
A federal judge hadn’t even ruled yet on suspending approval of the abortion pill mifepristone in April when Gov. Maura Healey orchestrated a major reserve shipment of the drug through the state’s flagship university. But despite pledges of public records transparency, any paper trail of how that response came together is still being kept locked away.
Healey also made headlines recently when she was invited to address the Irish Senate to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Ireland.
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Susan Berry, PhD is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Gov Maura Healey and AG Andrea Campbell” by Gov Maura Healey.
