News: Mass. could do more to protect abortion rights

Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Mass. could do more to protect abortion rights

May 04, 2022

Presented by Reproductive Equity Now

'WE CAN DESPAIR, AND THEN WE ORGANIZE' — Top Bay State Democrats reeling from a draft U.S. Supreme Court majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade spent Tuesday pushing for federal legislative fixes to preserve abortion access.

Problem is, their calls don't reflect political reality. Democratic leaders lack the votes to abolish the filibuster (cough: Sen. Joe Manchin) to get the Women's Health Protection Act through the Senate or pass other legislation to codify abortion rights. Sen. Ed Markey's continued push to expand SCOTUS is a non-starter in Congress writ large.

If Roe is struck down and decisions about abortion access get kicked back to states, Democrats could work to turn states that already protect abortion rights into safe harbors for people seeking the procedure. Gov. Gavin Newsom already wants to make California a "sanctuary" for those seeking reproductive care. In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont is expected to sign a bill to protect patients and providers from other states' more restrictive abortion laws. Democrats are now eyeing similar legislation in New York.

Abortion rights advocates say lawmakers in Massachusetts — where Planned Parenthood is already seeing patients from Texas at its Boston and Springfield offices — should consider the same.

"We would like to have the Legislature look at all options, everything from funding to provider protections, to patient protections, to expanded access," Dr. Jennifer Childs-Roshak, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts' president and CEO, told reporters outside the State House.

Massachusetts House lawmakers already passed $500,000 to expand abortion access in their budget. Senators could embrace that in their own budget, which is expected later this month, or unveil new plans. Senate President Karen Spilka told reporters that lawmakers will be "meeting with folks here an elsewhere to see what else can we do to support women and families in Massachusetts, and possibly other states."

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. With their options limited in many states and in Congress, Democrats are leveraging the SCOTUS draft opinion published by POLITICO to galvanize voters in the midterms, painting a dystopian picture of hard-won rights stripped systematically away if Republicans seize control.

"Our answer to this attack on our constitutional rights and the fundamentals of our democracy is to flex our electoral muscle," Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark told reporters yesterday. "Everything is on the line. Our democracy is on the line. And if you don't feel affected by this draft opinion, you will soon."

Abortion rights could become a flashpoint in New Hampshire's Senate battle or Maine's gubernatorial contest. But it's unlikely to upend our governor's race given how Republicans responded yesterday. Chris Doughty said in a statement he "will not seek any changes to our state's abortion laws."

Rival Geoff Diehl and his running mate, Leah Cole Allen, blasted the ROE Act that codified and expanded abortion access here as an "extreme bill" that was a "radical move too far by state legislators." But Diehl said earlier this year the "discussion at this point is over" because abortion access is enshrined via ROE.

TODAY — Rep. Lori Trahan announces $1 million for EforAll small business programs at 11 a.m. in Lowell. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu celebrate $1 million in federal funding for Boston's Tuition-Free Community College program at 11 a.m. at Bunker Hill Community College. Wu speaks at the National Association of Corporate Directors' awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m. in the Seaport and accompanies a youth choir at the NEMPAC Gala at 8 p.m.

Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

A message from Reproductive Equity Now:

Abortion rights are under attack like never before. Right here in Massachusetts, thousands of college students live in "access deserts" where the nearest abortion provider is an hours-long trip away. That cannot stand. Navigating an unplanned pregnancy is stressful. But accessing medication abortion shouldn't be. We have an opportunity to ensure that abortion care is accessible to all across the Commonwealth. State legislators must pass An Act to Require Public Universities to Provide Medication Abortion. Learn more.

ON THE STUMP

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Quentin Palfrey has landed another 50 endorsements from Democratic party leaders, elected officials and grassroots activists in his bid for state attorney general, including former state administration and finance secretary Leslie Kirwan, his campaign said.

— ENDORSEMENT ALERT: Our Revolution Massachusetts has endorsed state Rep. Tami Gouveia for lieutenant governor. State Sens. Eric Lesser and Adam Hinds also participated in the progressive group's endorsement process.

— CASH DASH: State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz will report raising $71,814 for her gubernatorial bid in April, her campaign said in a statement that also reiterated her pledge to reject donations linked to the fossil fuel industry. It's the first time she's raised less than $100,000 since December.

— Lesser raised $114,581 in April for his lieutenant governor campaign and has more than $1 million in cash on hand, his team said.

— GETTING IN, GETTING OUT: Fields for a few key races this fall are coming into clearer focus after yesterday's deadline for district and county candidates to submit nomination papers to local election officials, though it will be some time before we know if the office-seekers have enough signatures to advance:

— 4th Essex state Rep. Jamie Belsito, the Topsfield Democrat who flipped a Republican seat blue in last year's special election to finish out former state Rep. Brad Hill's term, is not eyeing a return to Beacon Hill next year after her seat was carved up in redistricting. "I'm thrilled that Sally Kerans will be my next representative, and I will do whatever it takes to help her keep that seat," Belsito told Playbook.

— Republican Joe Finn could have a race on his hands to replace state Rep. Christina Minicucci, who declined to seek reelection to the 14th Essex district due to redistricting. At least one Democrat, North Andover's Adrianne Ramos, had also returned papers for the seat as of Tuesday afternoon, North Andover's town clerk confirmed.

— Dianne Wilkerson has returned papers to run for her old Second Suffolk state Senate seat in Boston, the Boston Herald's Sean Philip Cotter reports.

— "Contest for Berkshire district attorney shrinks to two candidates, incumbent Andrea Harrington and a Democratic challenger, Timothy Shugrue," by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle: "Incumbent Andrea Harrington's spokesman confirmed Tuesday that she is seeking reelection. Harrington will go head-to-head in the primary with a fellow Democrat, Timothy Shugrue. Robert Sullivan had been running as an unrolled candidate for the top law enforcement job in the county. However, he announced late Tuesday afternoon that he was leaving the contest and called for his supporters to back Shugrue."

— "Former Patriots player Matt Light loses bid for Foxborough School Committee," by Johanna Seltz, Boston Globe: "Former New England Patriots player Matt Light lost his bid for a seat on the Foxborough School Committee on Monday, as voters returned incumbents in a four-way race for two seats. … Light, an offensive tackle on the Patriots from 2001 to 2011, said he stopped campaigning about a week before the local election because he was 'tired of the politics and personal attacks.'"

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "Officials reassure Mass. residents on abortion rights, gird for battle," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "A small group of top Massachusetts elected officials hastily gathered in front of the State House on Tuesday morning to reassure residents that abortion rights will remain intact in the state no matter what the Supreme Court does with Roe v Wade and to lay out the welcome mat for women from other states who may be in danger of losing their access to the procedure. … The impact in Massachusetts would be minimal because a law called the ROE Act passed in late 2020. The Roe Act not only codified in state law access to abortion, it eliminated two limitations on that access. One provision removed a requirement that a minor get parental consent or a judge's approval before obtaining an abortion. The other would allow abortions after 24 weeks in the case of a fatal birth defect; previously, abortions were allowed after 24 weeks only to protect the health or life of the mother. Gov. Charlie Baker raised concerns about those two provisions and attempted to veto them, but the Legislature overrode his veto. On Tuesday morning, Baker made clear that he strongly supports the law's main pillars ensuring abortion access."

— "Demonstrators protest in front of State House following leaked Supreme Court draft opinion," by Danny McDonald and Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: "Thousands of people turned out at the Massachusetts State House Tuesday evening to defend abortion rights and protest against a leaked draft opinion of the US Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that legalized abortion nationwide."

— "As Roe is in question, legal questions arise for abortion providers in Massachusetts," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: "Massachusetts providers have already been serving patients who live in states with restrictive abortion laws, and they expect that demand to only increase. Bay State doctors and attorneys say it is unlikely they will be subject to other states' anti-abortion laws, but experts left room open to interpret exactly how things play out for local providers interacting through telemedicine with out-of-state patients."

— "Markets Wipe Away Pension Fund's Russia Investments," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): "The state pension fund has begun to divest itself of Russian assets, but market conditions have whittled down the fund's holdings subject to the divestment mandate the Legislature included in a recent midyear spending bill to the point of being nearly 'a complete write-off,' the fund's chief investment officer said Tuesday. … 'We estimate that our position size at the start of this year, start of the calendar year, was about $250 million. On the day after the invasion, on February 25, the positions were valued at approximately $140 million. And today, as best as our pricing vendors can tell, the positions are worth approximately $9.6 million. Nine point six,' Trotsky told the PRIM Investment Committee on Tuesday morning."

— COVID EXPOSURES: Two more Senate employees have tested positive for Covid-19, one who was last in the building last Thursday and one who was there yesterday, per an email from Senate President Karen Spilka 's chief of staff that was shared with reporters. Senators attending Thursday's formal session are required to wear a mask. Those rules don't extend to the House or the governor's office, creating some mask confusion in the building.

A message from Reproductive Equity Now:

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

— "Gigi Coletta declares victory in Boston City Council special election," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Gabriela 'Gigi' Coletta is declaring victory in the District 1 city council special election, which would mean now-state Sen. Lydia Edwards' former chief of staff will take her seat on the council. … She was facing off against Tania Del Rio, who led the city's Office of Women's Advancement and then the Cambridge YWCA. North End restaurateur Jorge Mendoza, fired up about the dispute between the neighborhood's restaurants and the North End, ran a late-arriving write-in sticker campaign."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Two MBTA bus routes back to pre-COVID ridership levels," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "Free fares have a way of drawing riders to a bus route, but there are other ways to attract passengers as well. In a presentation to the MBTA board last week, General Manager Steve Poftak said two of the transit authority's 25 busiest routes are now exceeding their pre-COVID ridership levels. Two others are getting close. By contrast, the three routes that are part of a city of Boston fare-free pilot are doing well but not back to pre-COVID ridership levels yet."

DAY IN COURT

— "State's Supreme Judicial Court to hear arguments on millionaire's tax," by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: "The state's Supreme Judicial Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday concerning the wording of a ballot question which would ask voters if they think incomes over $1 million should be taxed at a higher rate."

WARREN REPORT

— "Biden could wipe out 30 million student-loan borrowers' debt loads with $50,000 in relief — but $10,000 would still turn a third of their balances to zero," by Ayelet Sheffey, Insider: "On Tuesday, an analysis prepared for Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and obtained by Insider found that if President Joe Biden fulfilled his campaign pledge to cancel $10,000 in student debt for every federal borrower, 32%, or 13 million borrowers, would see their debt balances turn to zero. And with every $10,000 increment, the share of borrowers affected would only increase..."

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HEALEY WATCH

— "Three patient deaths, and many others in misery, prompt $250,000 in fines at 5 Mass. nursing homes," by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "One woman suffered a cardiac emergency and died waiting for staff to summon properly trained help. Another died after nursing home staff failed to prevent her from developing pressure sores. And a third perished from bowel complications. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey cited the grim details Tuesday, along with repeated instances of neglect, in settlements with five nursing homes that required them to pay fines and upgrade their staff training."

DATELINE D.C.

— "US Senate Committee Deadlocked On Robinson Nomination," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): "A U.S. Senate committee split evenly along party lines on whether to advance Massachusetts Rep. Maria Robinson's nomination for a federal energy job, teeing up another situation in which Democrats may need to turn to the vice president to break a tie and muscle through a Bay State elected official."

FROM THE DELEGATION

— "White House will host first food insecurity conference in 50 years," by Kate Sullivan, CNN: "Democratic Rep. James McGovern of Massachusetts, the chairman of the House Rules Committee, spearheaded an effort to get the White House to host the conference and pushed for $2.5 million to be allocated in a government funding package to host the [September] event."

— "McGovern calls on Biden to pardon embattled attorney Steven Donziger," by Dharna Noor, Boston Globe: "President Biden used his clemency powers for the first time last week, announcing three pardons and shortening dozens of sentences. A group of lawmakers led by Massachusetts Representative Jim McGovern is now urging him to also pardon Steven Donziger, the embattled human rights lawyer who won a controversial multibillion-dollar case against Chevron over pollution in the Amazon rainforest..."

FROM THE 413

— "The Pittsfield police chief says he supports body cameras, but has legal concerns," by Meg Britton-Mehlisch, Berkshire Eagle: "The Pittsfield police chief on Monday said he has no problem with the concept of body-worn cameras, but concerns over how that technology intersects with state law has kept him from drafting such a policy."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Voters OK topless beach article, ban fertilizers, hot tubs in historic districts and plastic 'nip' bottles," by Joshua Balling, Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror: "Two and a half hours into night two of the 2022 Annual Town Meeting, Nantucket voters had approved a proposal allowing anyone to go topless on all island beaches, banned hot tubs and spas in the downtown and Sconset historic districts, and prohibited the sale of small plastic alcohol 'nip' bottles."

— "Newburyport teen dance in jeopardy after outcry," by Dave Rogers, Newburyport News: "'Over The Rainbow,' a community dance for high school-aged teens featuring a drag queen performer, is in jeopardy of being canceled after the owners of the venue pulled their support. A decision Thursday by St. John's Lodge/Masonic Hall representatives to back out of hosting the Newburyport Youth Services dance May 13 came after Plymouth and Barnstable District state Senate candidate Kari MacRae complained, according to NYS Director Andrea Egmont."

— "Bentley University in Massachusetts now accepting cryptocurrency for tuition payments," by WCVB.

— "Smith College announces plan to run on entirely renewable energy by 2030," by Will Katcher, MassLive.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— "With high court poised to overturn Roe, N.H. legislation protecting abortion access remains tabled," by Annmarie Timmins, New Hampshire Bulletin: "New Hampshire lawmakers have blocked legislation that would enshrine abortion rights in state statute. If a bill reaches his desk, Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday he would sign it 'in a second,' according to his spokesman. … Sununu, who signed the state's new 24-week abortion ban last year ... argued that a bill that would partially pare back the new abortion ban (House Bill 1609) 'expands access.' 'As a pro-choice governor, I am committed to upholding Roe v. Wade…'"

A message from Reproductive Equity Now:

The future of Roe v. Wade hangs in the balance and abortion rights are under attack like never before. Here in Massachusetts, we have an opportunity and obligation to ensure that abortion care is accessible to all people across the Commonwealth. But right now, thousands of college students across Massachusetts live in "access deserts." Without access to medication abortion on campus, some students are forced to travel for hours on public transportation to access care. We must ensure that the Commonwealth is a beacon for reproductive freedom — and that starts with improving access to care on our college campuses. That's why state legislators must pass An Act to Require Public Universities to Provide Medication Abortion. Navigating an unplanned pregnancy is stressful. Accessing medication abortion shouldn't be. Learn more.

MEANWHILE IN MAINE

— "Mainers assail Collins anew on past confirmation votes," by Brian MacQuarrie and Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: "Nearly four years have passed since Senator Susan Collins cast the crucial swing vote that confirmed Brett Kavanaugh, who had been suspected of opposing Roe v. Wade, as a Supreme Court justice. ... [T]he leak of a Supreme Court draft opinion to overturn constitutional protection for abortion has once again put Collins back in the crosshairs of voters, as Kavanaugh is purportedly one of five conservative justices in favor of repealing Roe."

MEDIA MATTERS

— "'As of now, I am retired.' KISS 108's Matt Siegel steps down after 41 years," by Travis Andersen and Mark Shanahan, Boston Globe: "Matt Siegel, host of the longtime 'Matty in the Morning' show on KISS 108 FM, told listeners Tuesday that he's retiring, ending a four-decade run during which he amassed an enormous following but also, of late, stirred controversy with impolitic remarks on gender issues."

TRANSITIONS — Former Suffolk first assistant district attorney Daniel Mulhern has joined Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, per Boston Business Journal's Benjamin Kail.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Erin Mershon of Stat News, the Boston Globe's Shira Center, James Hannon, Natalie Akers, Ryan Evans and former Lexington state Rep. Jay Kaufman.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

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