马萨诸塞州参议院本周五通过了一项措施，将晚期堕胎的最终决策权交由医生根据专业判断行使[1]。该法案现已送交州长Maura Healey签署[1]。
现行法律允许前24周内进行堕胎，此后仅在特定情形下允许，包括威胁孕妇生命、危害其精神或身体健康、胎儿存在致命异常或无法在子宫外存活等[1]。新法案将移除这些具体原因限制，改为由医生基于专业判断决定是否实施晚期堕胎[1]。
支持者认为现行法律过于严格，导致医疗机构拒绝必要的晚期堕胎程序[1]。州众议院议员Christine Barber指出，曾有医院拒绝为胎儿中风且无法存活的孕妇进行堕胎[1]。但反对方表示担忧，马萨诸塞生命公民组织主席Myrna Maloney Flynn指出，虽然该立法优先考虑获取权，但并未优先考虑女性安全[1]。
在全美范围内，当前有13个州全面禁止堕胎，另有4个州禁止6周后进行堕胎[1]。
The Massachusetts State Senate approved legislation on Friday that would grant physicians final authority in determining whether to perform late-term abortions [1]. The bill, now headed to Governor Maura Healey for signature, would fundamentally reshape how the state regulates abortion after the second trimester by replacing specific medical conditions with a standard based on physician professional judgment [1].
Under current law, abortion is permitted up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, with late-term procedures allowed only in narrowly defined circumstances: when necessary to preserve the pregnant person's life, physical health, or mental health; when the fetus has a fatal anomaly; or when the fetus cannot survive outside the womb [1]. The proposed legislation would eliminate this enumerated list of conditions, instead allowing doctors to rely solely on their professional medical assessment [1]. Supporters of the measure pointed to cases where hospitals refused necessary late-term abortions; State Representative Christine Barber cited an instance involving a fetus that had suffered a stroke and could not survive [1].
Opposition to the bill centers on concerns about maternal safety and the scope of late-term abortion access. Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, stated: "While this legislation prioritizes access, it does not prioritize women's safety" [1]. The debate unfolds as abortion policy remains highly fragmented nationally, with 13 states currently imposing comprehensive bans on the procedure and four additional states prohibiting abortion after six weeks of pregnancy [1].