With Trump’s Nomination of Brett Kavanaugh and Roe v. Wade in Grave Danger, MA Takes Important Step with Governor Baker Signing Pro-Choice Legislation
| For Immediate Release: July 27, 2018 Contact: [email protected] |
Today Massachusetts’ Republican Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young Women Act, an important step in protection abortion rights in the state as Donald Trump tries to ram through a dangerous Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, who, if confirmed, will end Roe v. Wade, criminalize abortion, and punish women. The law repeals a series of laws that criminalized abortion and prevented doctors from giving contraception to women if they aren’t married.
“What we just saw in Massachusetts is indicative of what’s going on around the country. Not only do people in this country want access to abortion and other reproductive rights secured, but the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court moves people to learn their status in their own states and they most often don’t like what they see,” said NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue. “Even a blue state like Massachusetts had laws on the books making abortion criminal and women subject to punishment. Thankfully, Governor Baker was moved to take action and we applaud him for protecting the women and families of Massachusetts. But the truth remains in far too many states, gutting Roe puts women, families, and doctors in immediate peril. In addition to asking every senator to vote no on Kavanaugh, we need to urge state legislators to reverse decades of attacks on women at the state level. The urgency is real.”
“The NASTY Women Act that repeals our state’s archaic abortion laws is key to safeguarding the fundamental rights of women and families in Massachusetts,” said NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts Executive Director Rebecca Hart Holder. “We are excited to have it passed and signed by the Governor, and are proud that Massachusetts can be an example of how a state can take steps to protect reproductive freedom as it is under dire threat with Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”