Passing the ROE Act in Massachusetts

In 2021, the legislature overrode two vetoes by Governor Baker to pass the ROE Act. The ROE Act represents NIRH’s core strategy to not only secure reproductive freedom in state law, but to also make sure we remove barriers to abortion access that fall particularly on those with least access to care. That’s why it was so important to us that it also eliminated the harmful requirement that 16- and 17-year-olds must get parental or judicial consent, repealed criminal penalties for abortion care later in pregnancy, and made it clear that trained, qualified advanced practice clinicians are authorized to provide abortions. For more detail, please see our press release.