You know an abortion law is extreme when even Democrats are criticizing it.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a new abortion bill into law. The measure would remove restrictions banning the procedure after 24 weeks of pregnancy. The law has faced a huge backlash from Republicans and a significant number of Democrats, according to Fox News.
A new Massachusetts law eliminating gestational limits on abortion has drawn backlash from conservatives and sparked a rift among state Democrats.
The Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act passed 119-33 in the state House of Representatives on July 22, largely along party lines. The bill, signed into law this week by Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, removes statutory restrictions on abortions past 24 weeks, allowing physicians to perform the procedure later in pregnancy based on their professional medical judgment and grants greater protection from legal penalties.
Nine House Democrats voted against the legislation alongside Republicans. Speaking to Fox News Digital, several dissenting lawmakers cited ethical and legal concerns, and said the bill does not align with the majority of their constituents' opinions on abortion.
"This new law represents an extremist and dangerous position," State Rep. Jeffrey Turco of Winthrop told Fox News Digital. "To be clear, it allows abortion anytime, unrestricted, and in many cases, publicly funded until the moment of birth."
Turco said the bill was "rushed through the legislative process in two weeks, without an opportunity for the public to weigh in," and was "out of step with the views of the average person in Massachusetts."
"The new law is barbaric," he added.
WATCH: Massachusetts Gov. Healey signed a law allowing abortion up to birth. Video shows women smiling, laughing and applauding. WJ's Josh Manning reacts, tracing it to an ancient false god of child sacrifice.
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) August 14, 2026
"This is a crime against humanity. And it has to be stopped," Manning… pic.twitter.com/7yEu9iTEUb
Democrat state Rep. Chris Markey said the bill “creates a very slippery slope” and that it “puts doctors in a very difficult ethical dilemma, as well as conflicts with the vast majority of my constituents.”
He added, “While many are pro-choice, you can still be pro-choice and see this law as going beyond the norms of acceptability."
State Rep. Dennis Gallagher, also a Democrat, said he believed the new law was unnecessary.
In her announcement, Healey’s office said the law comes as “reproductive rights continue to face unprecedented attacks across the country following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.”
“I've heard heartbreaking stories from women and families who were preparing to welcome a healthy baby into their family, only to receive devastating news later in their pregnancy,” the governor said. “Instead of being able to rely on the doctors they knew and trusted at home, they were forced to travel hundreds of miles and pay out of their pockets while navigating unimaginable grief.”
What’s amazing is that Massachusetts is one of the bluest states in the nation, yet even some Democrats have shown they have limits on how expansive abortion should become.
But a poll commissioned by the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation in 2024 might offer a clue. It found that 66 percent of Massachusetts voters supported the idea of expanding access to abortion after 24 weeks while only 34 percent opposed it.