Opponents of new abortion law eye 2028 repeal effort

CommonWealth Beacon · Alison Kuznitz | State House News Service · September 8, 2026

Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll and Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein join Sen. Robyn Kennedy, Sen. Lydia Edwards, Rep. Christine Barber, Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, Reproductive Equity Now co-interim Executive Director Claire Teylouni, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine Dr. Chloe Zera, doctors, stakeholders and other state and local officials.

" data-image-caption=" Gov. Healey signs “An Act prioritizing patient care access to care,” landmark legislation to strengthen Massachusetts abortion protections, at the State House on Aug. 10 2026.

" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/commonwealthbeacon.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/55474885483_ddd8093ba9_o-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> ACTIVISTS ANGERED OVER a new law that removes barriers to abortions later in pregnancy have filed paperwork seeking to suspend and ultimately repeal the measure in the 2028 election cycle.

The Compassionate Care Coalition launched this week and filed initial paperwork with Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office Tuesday to try to topple the law that removed four criteria from statute that enabled abortions after 24 weeks’ gestation, specifically in life-threatening situations. The law instead gives deference to providers’ medical judgment.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action are spearheading the effort to repeal the law (H 5595/Chapter 188) that Gov. Maura Healey signed on August 10, said coalition chair Sam Miele.

“Obviously, you know, we’re not trying to outlaw abortion or anything,” Miele told the News Service Friday. “We simply believe that what the law that Maura Healey just passed is not compassionate. It’s not safe for women. It’s very dangerous, actually, for women’s health. And we believe that what was instituted prior was enough.”

Reproductive care advocates say doctors previously felt hamstrung by the four criteria in state statute, and that the new law will ensure pregnant individuals facing serious complications will no longer need to travel out of state to seek care.

The legislation unexpectedly advanced at the end of formal sessions in July. The House passed the bill on a 119-33 vote on July 22, while the Senate passed it on a voice vote on July 31 without placing individual senators on the record. The bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Christine Barber, who lost her Senate primary bid Tuesday to Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven.

“Abortion is on the ballot this November in Massachusetts and around the country,” Healey told reporters after she signed the law. “My opponents are anti-abortion. One of my opponents, Mike Minogue, is proudly anti-abortion.”

The new repeal effort could elevate the topic in this fall’s contest between Healey and Minogue.

Minogue, the Republican gubernatorial nominee, is openly pro-life due to his Catholic faith. He’s previously said he would “uphold the law” for reproductive rights if he wins the election.

On the day Healey signed the law, Minogue called for an “end to divisive politics.”

“I would much rather see the people of Massachusetts voice their opinion and decide this – not the politicians,” Minogue said last month. “Most people have compassion for women going through such a difficult decision and don’t want this to be a political issue. That said, this is not what I hear voters asking about on the campaign trail.”

Miele said there’s a “very broad” coalition of supporters behind the nascent repeal effort, including pregnancy resource centers and Protestant churches across the state. State public health officials have cracked down on those centers, saying they masquerade as legitimate abortion care providers.

“Before the ink dried on Governor Healey’s politicized signature, we started receiving messages from outraged residents across the state, people sickened that Healey had legalized abortion up to birth for healthy mothers and healthy, pain-capable infants,” Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, said in a web post Friday. “Every person who contacted us wanted us to ‘do something’ to restore protections for viable, fully formed babies.”

Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office must now write a summary of the abortion access law, which would be printed on referendum petitions, a Galvin spokesperson said.

Coalition supporters must submit at least 37,289 signatures to local election officials by October 23 to get them certified and make the ballot for 2028, the spokesperson said. Petitions are then due with Galvin’s office on November 6. To suspend the law as the referendum process unfolds, supporters must secure 49,719 signatures.

Healey has the authority to file an emergency preamble to the law to prevent it from being suspended. She flexed that power with the 2024 gun reform law, which is up for a referendum on the November 3 ballot.

A spokesperson for the governor did not directly answer a News Service question about whether Healey would attach an emergency preamble to the abortion access law.

“This law is for families facing some of the most painful and devastating circumstances imaginable. It’s about parents who were preparing to welcome a baby into their lives and then received a heartbreaking diagnosis late in pregnancy,” Healey said in a statement. “These situations are incredibly rare, and the decisions should be made between patients, their families, and their doctor – not by politicians and the government.”

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