Now that Brett Kavanaugh is on the U.S. Supreme Court, filling a seat that could have been occupied by Merrick Garland, there’s a real chance that Roe v. Wade — the landmark Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion — will be overturned or seriously curtailed. As red states try to force the issue by passing a bevy of restrictive new laws, blue states are moving in the opposite direction, passing legislation aimed at consolidating and expanding abortion rights.
Case in point: Massachusetts, where a bill dubbed the ROE Act gets a State House hearing on Monday, June 17. Still, despite the Commonwealth’s progressive reputation, the bill’s passage hardly a sure thing. Among other things, it’s received a cool reception from Governor Charlie Baker, who says he doesn’t support late-term abortions (which would be easier to obtain if the ROE Act becomes law) and that Massachusetts women are already protected in the event of a Roe v. Wade reversal.
Adam Reilly and Peter Kadzis dig into the ROE Act’s details — and its political prospects — with two key supporters: State Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler, who filed the bill, and Rebecca Hart Holder, the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.
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