The Catholic bishops of Massachusetts have rebuked Gov. Maura Healey for enacting an unrestricted abortion bill into law and citing her Catholic faith while doing so.
On Nov. 6, Healey attached an emergency preamble to an all-nine-months abortion bill she signed Aug. 10, which under the state constitution made the new law take effect immediately.
Her action also prevented the suspension of the new abortion law pending a statewide referendum on it expected in November 2028.
In a 1,400-word Substack article, Healey justified her decision to enact the abortion bill immediately, citing her Catholicism.
"I am Catholic, and my faith is an important part of who I am. It has shaped my understanding of service, responsibility and our obligation to care for others. My faith teaches me to meet people with compassion, respect their dignity, and approach suffering with humility," Healey wrote.
"I am also Governor for people of every faith and belief," she continued. "My responsibility is to ensure that every family can make deeply personal medical decisions according to their own circumstances, values and the guidance of their doctors."
Over the weekend, Boston Archbishop Richard Henning and the bishops who lead the state's three other Catholic dioceses criticized Healey's rationale.
"Having read the Governor's editorial defending her decision to override the results of the Repeal 188 efforts, we respectfully and passionately disagree that abortion, the taking of human life, may be considered health care," they said Nov. 7 in a written statement.
"We also disagree that there is an emergency requiring the further expansion of the existing and already radically permissive law," the bishops said. The letter was also signed by Worcester Bishop Robert McManus, Fall River Bishop Edgar da Cunha, and Springfield Bishop William Byrne.
'Utilitarian and merciless approach'
Before Healey's action, Massachusetts state abortion law, which was amended in 2020, previously allowed unlimited abortions up to 24 weeks and after that to save the life or the "physical or mental health" of the mother or if "the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside the uterus."
The new statute enacted by the governor removes those limitations, stating instead that abortions at any time in pregnancy "may be performed by a physician based upon the professional judgment of the physician."
The state's bishops noted that Pope Leo XIV recently told leaders in Uruguay that the unborn "already belong to the human family" and that their dependence on their mother "does not diminish the dignity to which they are entitled or the protection they deserve."
"We call upon the legislators who crafted and passed this bill, and all men and women of good will, to reconsider the troubling state of our culture and its utilitarian and merciless approach to the elderly, the sick, the vulnerable, and the unborn," the Massachusetts bishops said. "As Pope Leo put it: 'The right to life is the indispensable foundation of every other human right.'"
A spokesman for Healey contacted by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, referred questions about the bishops' criticism of her to Healey's Substack article.
Repeal effort on hold
Opponents of the new abortion measure, which is known as Chapter 188 of Massachusetts General Laws, collected more than 100,000 signatures of registered voters earlier this fall to challenge it.
Under the state constitution, that's more than double the number needed to stop a law from going into effect unless the governor enacts it immediately with an emergency preamble, as Healey did.
As for the pro-lifers' signature campaign, Healey wrote: "The repeal campaign can continue its work, and Massachusetts voters will have their say. If they choose to repeal the law, we will respect their decision. But families should not have to go without the care they need while that process plays out."
A spokesman for the secretary of state's office said it would likely take a week or two to certify the signatures that would trigger the statewide referendum on the all-nine-months abortion statute two years from now.
Myrna Maloney Flynn, the president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, told EWTN News that the state constitution "does not include any mechanisms for reversal" of an emergency preamble. But she said pro-life advocates there "are undeterred."
"Though we all share a deep sadness at the distorted messaging women are already hearing more frequently since [the passage of the law], from an industry that aims to profit from their vulnerability, we know truth will ultimately mute false claims," she said.
"And as we prepare our hearts for the imminent loss of life, each of us recognizes the new opportunities for ultimate victory," she continued. "I've been moved to see that Massachusetts residents are not walking away but stepping up once again, more determined than ever."
"We've got a two-year campaign ahead of us, and I am confident that we will have a formidable team to help us repeal Governor Healey's full-term abortion law in 2028," she said.
This story was first published by the National Catholic Register, the sister partner of EWTN News, and has been adapted by EWTN News.
