The Massachusetts Legislature overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of a bill that lowered the legal age of getting an abortion in the state to 16.
“I cannot support the sections of this proposal that expand the availability of later term abortions and permit minors age 16 and 17 to get an abortion without the consent of a parent or guardian,” said Baker, a Republican, after vetoing the legislation.
The Democrat-controlled Massachusetts State House voted 107-46 to override the veto, joining the Democrat-controlled state Senate in pushing the legislation through.
“Hoping that we would all be too busy to notice, Charlie Baker once again caved in to the extreme right-wing of his Republican Party by vetoing critical abortion access provisions that would put our laws in line with neighboring states like Maine, New York, and Connecticut,” said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford. “Charlie Baker is choosing to stand with right-wing extremists instead of doctors, women, and the vast majority of voters in Massachusetts.”
Along with lowering the age women can legally obtain an abortion from 18 to 16, the bill “expands women’s legal authority to get an abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy if doctors say the baby will not survive after birth.”
The bill also eliminated that mandatory 24-hour waiting period for getting an abortion.
Democratic state Sen. Harriette Chandler celebrated the legislation and the legislature’s move to override Baker’s veto.
“Pregnant people who once faced near-insurmountable barriers accessing abortion care can now seize the right to control their own bodies. I am so proud of the policies included in the #ROEAct and of the @MA_Senate for our commitment to reproductive freedom,” Chandler tweeted.
But Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser criticized the override, calling the legislation “extreme” in a statement after the vote.
“This dangerous new law allows for late-term abortion on-demand across Massachusetts, and secret abortions for minor girls as young as 16,” Dannenfelser wrote. “Governor Baker is pro-choice, but this legislation was too much for him to stomach: His veto exemplifies just how extreme it is.”
“The actions taken by Democrats to ram through this legislation are a reflection of just how extreme the party has become on abortion,” she continued. “Led by Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats’ agenda for the entire nation is reflected in this bill: abortion-on-demand, up until the moment of birth.”
