News : Special edition: What the end of Roe means for Mass.

Friday, June 24, 2022

Special edition: What the end of Roe means for Mass.

Jun 24, 2022

PROGRAMMING NOTE: This is a special edition of Massachusetts Playbook covering the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and what it means for the Bay State. We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday.

ROE FALLS — The Supreme Court on Friday rolled back the constitutional right to an abortion and set off a cascade of red-state restrictions and blue-state protections surrounding the procedure and throwing the country into uncharted political, legal, social, and medical territory.

What you need to know:

— Abortion is still legal in Massachusetts: Access to the procedure up until 24 weeks of pregnancy, and in limited circumstances afterward, has been enshrined in state law since 2020.

— Some protections are in place: With Massachusetts expecting an influx of people from out of state seeking the procedure, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker issued an executive order to "protect reproductive health care providers who serve out-of-state residents." It landed within an hour of the Supreme Court decision.

The order bars Massachusetts from cooperating with extradition requests from other states, prevents executive department agencies from assisting other states' investigations into abortion patients or providers, and protects providers from losing their licenses or being disciplined over out-of-state charges.

— Abortion-rights advocates want the state to go further: The state budget being negotiated between the House and Senate could include upwards of $2 million for abortion access, infrastructure and security.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks about the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in a press conference outside the Massachusetts State House on Friday, June 24, 2022. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

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Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director for Reproductive Equity Now, said "we will certainly ask for more," though she didn't specify a dollar amount at a Friday press conference. Also under consideration in the budget negotiations is a Senate-approved amendment from state Sen. Cindy Friedman that would expand the protections Baker put in place. And the Beyond Roe Coalition of abortion providers and advocacy groups has issued 21 recommendations for legislative and regulatory action.

Maura Healey, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, also vowed to use the powers of the attorney general's office to block other states' prosecution efforts: "We're going to make sure that no one is investigated, no one is harassed, no agencies or law enforcement are turning over personal information, no one is going to be vilified or under attack," she said at the press conference outside the State House.

— At the federal level: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on President Joe Biden to protect access to the procedure by expanding medication abortion and looking at whether abortions could be offered on federal lands even in states where it's banned. She's also pushing for action on her legislation to ban data brokers from selling people's location and health information.

"Roe is dead," Warren declared outside the State House. "But the Supreme Court extremists do not get the last word."

A map of the United States showing where abortion is now illegal, or will be soon, after the fall of Roe.

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WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— "Abortion laws by state: Where abortions are illegal after Roe v. Wade overturned," by Megan Messerly, POLITICO

— "What changed from Justice Alito's draft opinion to final ruling on Roe," by Kelly Hooper, POLITICO: "Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito's sharp opinion revoking the constitutional right to abortion is virtually unchanged from his initial draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade compared to the final text of the decision handed down by the high court Friday morning."

— "'With sorrow ... we dissent': Liberal justices rebuke decision to overturn Roe," by Myah Ward, POLITICO: "In a scathing dissent of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday, Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan accuse the Court of discarding the 'balance' the court struck for half a century as it found a middle ground between "respecting a woman as an autonomous being" and protecting the life of a fetus."

— "Justice Thomas: SCOTUS 'should reconsider' contraception, same-sex marriage rulings," by Quint Forgey and Josh Gerstein, POLITICO

— " In Photos: Reactions to the overturn of Roe v. Wade": See photos from across the nation as thousands demonstrate.

— "Roe v. Wade: Massachusetts leaders condemn Supreme Court overturning abortion rights decision, saying it's a 'horrific decision'," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive

— More: "'We are now living in a dystopian nightmare': Mass. elected officials react to overturning of Roe v. Wade," by Dialynn Dwyer, Boston.com

— "Roe v. Wade: Some Massachusetts Republicans welcome Supreme Court decision despite Gov. Charlie Baker's opposition," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "Geoff Diehl, a Republican candidate for governor who's been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, supported the ruling. In a statement, Diehl said he and lieutenant governor candidate Leah Allen 'both believe in protecting innocent life wherever possible.' … Meanwhile Chris Doughty, the other GOP candidate for governor, called for unity over the division spurred on by the Supreme Court decision. 'Here in Massachusetts the right to an abortion is safe, legal and codified into law,' Doughty said in a statement to MassLive. 'When elected, I will not seek to make any changes to our state's abortion laws.'"

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