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Ongoing story / Massachusetts

Massachusetts's 2026 law allowing abortion through the whole pregnancy

Overview · reviewed November 14, 2026

In August 2026 Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed a law removing the state's restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy, leaving such decisions to doctors' professional judgment and making Massachusetts the 10th state, along with Washington, D.C., with no gestational limit.[1][2] Supporters said hospitals had been turning away patients they should serve, while opponents called the law "barbaric," and some Catholics called for Healey's excommunication.[3][4][5]

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Supporters said hospitals had been turning away patients they should serve, while opponents called the law "barbaric," and some Catholics called for Healey's excommunication.[3][4][5]

Coverage over time

Share of tracked outlets · weekly (UTC)

Week of 2026-07-20 (UTC): 2%, 9 of 562 tracked outlets (3 left, 4 center, 2 right)Week of 2026-07-27 (UTC): 1%, 8 of 561 tracked outlets (2 left, 2 center, 4 right)Week of 2026-08-03 (UTC): 1%, 6 of 537 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 6 right)Week of 2026-08-10 (UTC): 7%, 39 of 545 tracked outlets (8 left, 6 center, 25 right)Week of 2026-08-17 (UTC): 1%, 5 of 464 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 5 right)Week of 2026-08-24 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-08-31 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-07 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-14 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-21 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-09-28 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-05 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-12 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-19 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-10-26 (UTC): no coverage from tracked outletsWeek of 2026-11-02 (UTC): 1%, 5 of 471 tracked outlets (3 left, 1 center, 1 right)Week of 2026-11-09 (UTC): 1%, 4 of 473 tracked outlets (0 left, 0 center, 4 right), so far

LeftCenterRightLighter bar: this week so far

Each bar is the share of the outlets on our Left / Center / Right rating scale that we tracked publishing that week which carried reporting on this story, split by the outlets' ratings. We track more outlets now than in the archive, so a share keeps earlier and later weeks comparable. An outlet counts once a week however much it published, and outlets in one ownership or syndication group count as one on each side they appear on. A rating describes the outlet, not the report. A gap means no such reports were collected that week, not that nothing was reported anywhere. Weeks run Monday to Sunday in UTC, so a report published on a Sunday evening in US Eastern time counts in the next week.

Weekly counts, outlets and reports (7 weeks with coverage)
Outlets on the rating scale that carried this story each week, of the outlets tracked that week, newest first
Week of (UTC)LeftCenterRightOf trackedShareReceipts
Nov 9, 2026 (so far)0044 of 4731%
Nov 2, 20263115 of 4711%
Aug 17, 20260055 of 4641%
Aug 10, 2026862539 of 5457%
Aug 3, 20260066 of 5371%
Jul 27, 20262248 of 5611%
Jul 20, 20263429 of 5622%

Latest coverage

The newest reporting in this story's record.

  1. Nov 10, 2026 · first reported · Headline from Aleteia

    Bishops rebuke governor who cited faith to expand abortion

Background

The House approved the bill in July, allowing physicians to provide medically necessary care after 24 weeks based on their judgment,[6] and the Senate followed.[7] Supporters said the change would affect few cases.[3] Healey signed it on August 10,[1] nine Democratic lawmakers opposed it,[4] and calls mounted for the Archdiocese of Boston to respond.[5] In November, Healey used her executive power to put the law into effect immediately with an emergency preamble, blocking opponents' push to suspend it.[8] Catholic bishops then rebuked Healey for invoking her faith to justify the decision.[9]

Supporting stories (9)
  1. Massachusetts Gov Maura Healey signs bill allowing abortions up until childbirth
  2. Abortion now legal until birth in Massachusetts
  3. Massachusetts is close to giving doctors the final word on whether to perform late abortions
  4. Even Democrat Lawmakers Opposed 'Barbaric' Massachusetts Abortion Law
  5. Mass. Gov. Healey faces Catholic excommunication threat over abortion bill
  6. Massachusetts House passes bill expanding access to abortion care
  7. Mass. bill legalizing abortion through whole pregnancy awaits governor’s signature
  8. Healey uses executive power to put abortion law into effect, blocking opponents’ push to suspend it
  9. Catholic bishops rebuke Gov. Maura Healey for using faith to justify 'radically permissive' abortion law

The full record

Each date is when an update was first reported.

All 10 recorded updates

November 2026

  1. Catholic bishops rebuke Gov. Maura Healey for using faith to justify 'radically permissive' abortion lawHeadline from The Christian Post · 4 outlets
  2. Healey uses executive power to put abortion law into effect, blocking opponents’ push to suspend itHeadline from The Boston Globe · 5 outlets

August 2026

  1. Abortion now legal until birth in MassachusettsHeadline from Aleteia · 5 outlets
  2. Democrats Speak out Against Massachusetts’ New Late-Term AbortionHeadline from GOP Daily Brief · 1 outlet
  3. Even Democrat Lawmakers Opposed 'Barbaric' Massachusetts Abortion LawHeadline from Breitbart News · 3 outlets
  4. Mass. Gov. Healey faces Catholic excommunication threat over abortion billHeadline from Union Leader · 4 outlets
  5. Massachusetts Gov Maura Healey signs bill allowing abortions up until childbirthHeadline from New York Post · 37 outlets
  6. Mass. bill legalizing abortion through whole pregnancy awaits governor’s signatureHeadline from The Center Square · 6 outlets

July 2026

  1. Massachusetts is close to giving doctors the final word on whether to perform late abortionsHeadline from Washington Times · 8 outlets
  2. Massachusetts House passes bill expanding access to abortion careHeadline from WWLP Springfield · 9 outlets

Coverage & sources

Read the reports, see how much was collected over time, or compare outlets by political leaning.

Coverage & sources →