Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation in mid-August that eliminates the state's previous restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks, a lawmaking Massachusetts the 10th state to permit the procedure up to birth. The new law, which takes effect Nov. 8, allows abortions beyond previous limits based on a physician's professional judgment.
CatholicVote, a Catholic organization, is now urging Massachusetts bishops to determine whether Healey, who is Catholic, incurred automatic excommunication under canon law and, if so, formally declare it. In a letter to the bishops, the group argued that Healey should be considered an 'accomplice' in abortion under Catholic teaching.
What the Right Is Saying
CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt told Fox News Digital that Healey's signing of the law represents a turning point in how bishops should respond to Catholic politicians supporting abortion rights. 'To weaponize Catholic virtues, to weaponize Christian virtues in the defense of something so egregiously contrary to the faith is a new moment in the political landscape,' she said.
Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester in Minnesota posted sharp criticism on X, stating: 'A fully-formed child, moments before exiting the birth canal, can be eviscerated, chopped into pieces, had its head crushed or skin burned off.' Bishop Barron called the celebration at the signing 'particularly gross,' referring to those surrounding Healey during the ceremony.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee shared Bishop Barron's comments, writing that supporters were 'cackling with delight because what can only be called infanticide can now be practiced with impunity in their state.'
Reinhardt noted that Catholic politicians have long used an exception allowing them to personally oppose abortion while supporting legal access. 'It's given cover for too many years and now that cover is no longer possible,' she said.
What the Left Is Saying
Abortion rights advocates have defended the Massachusetts law as protecting reproductive freedom and allowing doctors to make medical decisions without government interference. Supporters argue that late-term abortions are rare and typically involve devastating circumstances such as fetal anomalies or threats to the mother's health, making legislative restrictions inappropriate intrusions into private medical care.
Proponents of expanded abortion access contend that laws like Massachusetts' new statute ensure women facing complex pregnancy situations can receive necessary care without traveling to other states. Groups including Planned Parenthood have praised similar measures in blue states as essential protections against potential federal restrictions under the Trump administration.
What the Numbers Show
Massachusetts becomes the 10th state to permit abortion up to birth, joining California, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Rhode Island, Illinois, and Colorado in allowing the procedure without gestational limits. The law takes effect Nov. 8, approximately three months after Healey signed it.
The legislation removes criminal penalties for physicians who perform abortions beyond the previous 24-week threshold based on their professional judgment. It does not change parental consent requirements for minors seeking abortions.
In 2022, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was barred from receiving Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone due to her public support for abortion rights. That action remains one of the most high-profile instances of a bishop imposing formal consequences on a Catholic politician.
The Bottom Line
The Massachusetts law has reignited a decades-old debate over how Catholic bishops should respond when politicians whose faith tradition opposes abortion nonetheless support legal access to the procedure. While some bishops have issued public condemnations, formal discipline such as denying Communion has been applied inconsistently across dioceses.
CatholicVote's push for Massachusetts bishops to consider excommunication proceedings highlights the tension between religious doctrine and political representation in a state with a Catholic governor. Healey's office did not respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. The outcome of any ecclesiastical review could set precedent for how other bishops handle similar situations involving politicians from their flocks.
What remains clear is that as more states expand abortion access, conflicts between religious teaching and political practice are likely to intensify, particularly in jurisdictions where Catholic leaders hold strong views on the issue.