Massachusetts

Overturning Roe v. Wade: What It Means for Massachusetts

Protections remain in place for women seeking an abortion in Massachusetts

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They said the writing has been on the wall, and the numbers were there on the Supreme Court, to overturn Roe v. Wade.

And that’s what happened.

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Now there are protections in place for women here in Massachusetts.

Gov. Charlie Baker said he’s deeply saddened by the court’s decision, and has issued an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care services across the state.

There’s also the Roe act, passed two years ago, which states that abortion is legal for up to and in some cases beyond 24 weeks in Massachusetts.

It also reduces the age of parental or judicial consent to 16 years old.

For those who don’t have this type of access perhaps in other states, law experts say women of color will be impacted the most.

“It’s been found that Black women are two to five times higher or more likely than white women to die as result of complications due to childbirth,” said Alicia Hughes, chief policy advisor of the National Bar Association. “So, the lack of diversity in the legal academy is directly reflected with the lack of diversity on the bench.”

Another law expert says some states will move to make themselves safe havens for women who seek an abortion, with a lot more legislation on the state-level, to come.

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