Democrats in the Massachusetts House have overwhelmingly passed a bill that would greatly expand abortion access past the current 24-week gestational limit. The legislation, which passed by a vote of 199-33 on Wednesday, would effectively permit abortions for viable fetuses beyond this threshold.
James Lyons, a former state representative and past chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, described the measure as “insanity” and stated it “has to stop.”
The current law prohibits abortion after 24 weeks unless performed by a doctor who determines it is necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother, or due to a lethal fetal anomaly or grave diagnosis indicating the fetus cannot survive outside the womb without extraordinary medical intervention.
Medical data from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists shows survival rates for babies born at 23 weeks are 23-27%, increasing dramatically to 42-59% by 24 weeks. Advocates for the unborn have emphasized that the bill would “make it open season on viable human beings” and called for the state Senate to kill it outright.
