Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey Announces Emergency Abortion Care Protections 2 Years After Dobbs
On Monday, Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA) announced efforts to protect emergency abortion care.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here. I would like to begin by welcoming folks
00:06who are here standing with the Lieutenant Governor and myself. We have from our administration
00:12our Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh, our Commissioner of Public Health
00:15Dr. Robbie Goldstein, our Undersecretary of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Leila
00:21D'Amelia, and our Acting Commissioner of Insurance Kevin Began. We also have representing members
00:27of our health care community Valerie Fleischman of the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association,
00:33our Advocates and Champions led by Becca Hart-Holder of Reproductive Equity Now, along with Dominic
00:39Lee of Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers. We also have Gabby Wolf and Jenny
00:45Rossman from the American Civil Liberties Union. We have health insurers represented,
00:51including Laura Pellegrini of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans and Sarah Islin
00:56of Blue Cross Blue Shield. In addition, we have our legislative partners here as well.
01:02Legislative leaders representing the Office of Senate President Karen Spilka, we have
01:07with us today Chair Cindy Freeman. Representing Speaker Mariano's office, we have Chair John
01:14Law from the House. So we thank you both for being here. I know we also have Rep. Decker
01:18here, Councilor Marilyn Devaney is here as well, and I know that there are others. It's
01:22a busy time right now, but others are in and out. We appreciate the work of our legislature
01:28very, very much and the leadership. We also appreciate the leadership of our Attorney
01:33General, Andrea Campbell, who is here with us this morning, and of our Treasurer, Deb
01:38Goldberg, who is also here with us this morning. We thank you. And I think that covers for
01:44now, but as I say, I'm sure more will be joining at different points. So, look, we're here
01:51today because it's the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision. It was a really bad
01:56decision. It was a really dark day for America. And two years later, across this country,
02:03one in three women live in states where there is an abortion ban in place. Over 20 states
02:10have laws that ban abortion. The majority of these states have no exception for rape
02:15or incest. Leaders in states like Florida, Texas, Missouri, and Idaho, among other places,
02:22have made clear that their cynical political agendas are more important than the rights
02:28and freedoms of American women. They've done more than just attack and undermine access
02:34to abortion and medication abortion. They've also undermined and attacked access to contraception
02:41and IVF. But in Massachusetts, we are not going to allow that to happen. We are united,
02:48as you can see from this incredible collection in force of folks from industry, from our
02:54insurance community, from our provider community, from all realms of government here in this
03:00building. And it really is a show, I think, of the kind of unity that we all bring to
03:06this issue. Now, today, today is really about making clear that women's rights, the freedom
03:17of choice, the freedom of reproductive choice is non-negotiable here in Massachusetts. We
03:23will protect it. We will defend it. Accordingly, I am going to be announcing that I have just
03:31signed an executive order that does the following. Number one, it makes clear that women in Massachusetts
03:38will always have access to emergency, life-saving health care, including abortion. Number two,
03:46our agencies, the Department of Public Health and our Division of Insurance have made clear
03:52through regulation and guidance that insurers and providers in Massachusetts have and will
03:58continue to have an obligation to provide emergency abortion care. And number three,
04:04the executive order makes clear that since the Dobbs decision, Massachusetts has and
04:10will continue to ensure protections for reproductive freedom and choice. That's important. That's
04:17what we are announcing today. It's a whole-of-government approach to this, and it will show once again
04:23that Massachusetts is committed and leading the way forward. I appreciate the efforts
04:28of the legislature the last few years, particularly the passage of the SHIELD Law, which is now
04:33the strongest SHIELD Law in the country. It protects our residents against out-of-state
04:38actions for seeking, helping, or providing abortion. And I think it's important as other
04:43states try to take us backwards and implement extreme abortion bans. It's been Massachusetts,
04:50both through policymaker leadership and also the leadership of our health care providers
04:55who are stepping forward to offer life-saving health care, including telehealth abortion
05:01care. In fact, right now we know Massachusetts providers are making sure that Mifepristone
05:07pills are available to women here and across the United States who are being denied access
05:13to needed care, including life-saving care. It's one more reason why people in other states
05:18are turning to Massachusetts as a leader of reproductive choice and freedom in this country.
05:24In addition, we have invested millions of dollars in health care providers and grassroots
05:28organizations who support access to abortion and health care at the local level across
05:33our state, and we've also proposed an additional $2 million in this year's budget. We expanded
05:39our sexual and reproductive health program to provide access to abortion medication in
05:44Western Mass, Southeastern Mass, and the Cape and Islands. We convened providers and
05:49allies to share information and best practices and build community. We created a doula program
05:55under MassHealth that covers not just birth, but also abortion support. And just this month
06:02we became the first state in the country to launch a public education campaign on the
06:07dangers of anti-abortion centers that mislead vulnerable patients. We know that our leadership
06:14here matters, particularly in this time, and it's why we have continued to take immediate
06:19action at every turn, including proactive action. And part of what we're concerned about
06:25this week in particular is that the Supreme Court is about to hand down a decision that
06:29will decide whether or not a law in Idaho, which essentially says to women, you may be
06:35in a terrible situation, your life may be on the line, but if you're a pregnant person
06:40and your life is on the line, you are not going to receive needed emergency life-saving
06:45treatment until and unless you are reaching the point that your life is actually on the
06:51line. And we know what this has meant already for women in Idaho who've had to be helicoptered
06:55from the state, pregnant women who've had to be helicoptered from the state in order
07:00to receive life-saving emergency care. The court's going to decide whether or not that's
07:06constitutional, but we want to be really clear here in Massachusetts that we will make sure
07:10that women in Massachusetts always will have access to life-saving emergency care, including
07:17abortion. And again, I appreciate the support of the provider and insurance community in
07:21standing with us. We hope that the Supreme Court does the right thing and protects access
07:27to emergency medical care, but we are not taking any chances. And that's why I'm grateful
07:32that everyone has come forward together here. This is about standing up for freedom. This
07:39is about standing up for women. And I'll now invite our Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll
07:45to the podium.
07:46Thank you, Governor, and thank everyone for being here. I mean, look around this room.
07:58Mark this day. We're here to be clear that all across our government, we're aligned and
08:04strong in our belief that no one should be denied the freedom to control their own body,
08:10and no one should come between a woman and her health care. We're standing up not only
08:15for women in Massachusetts, but women around this country. It's unconscionable what we've
08:20seen happen in other states, stripping away rights, putting millions of women in real
08:25danger, and even threatening providers with criminal prosecution for providing life-saving
08:32medical care. In Massachusetts, we are protecting women's health and freedom. It's who we are
08:38as a state. We lead with skill, we lead with our compassion, and we will never stop. Under
08:45this governor's leadership, Massachusetts is a national leader on reproductive freedom.
08:51Other states look to us when it comes to assessing reproductive freedom and standing up, and
08:58we always will be. It's now my honor to introduce Dr. Robbie Goldstein, our Mass. Commissioner of Public Health.
09:05Thank you, Lieutenant Governor. Good morning, everyone. Our work at the Department of Public
09:14Health is to promote and protect health and wellness for all people in the Commonwealth.
09:20We do this by prioritizing racial equity in health, leading response efforts in public
09:25health emergencies, implementing programs that prevent disease, and we do this by protecting
09:30the right to safe, unbiased, life-saving medical care in Massachusetts. Today, we reaffirm
09:38the requirements under state law for hospitals to provide emergency medical treatment, including
09:43abortion services. We remind hospitals, clinics, and health care providers of their responsibilities.
09:51We make it clear that emergency medical conditions requiring treatment may include pregnancy-related
09:57conditions in which preserving the life of a pregnant person or preventing the risk of
10:02serious harm may require pregnancy termination. Failure of a hospital or a provider to provide
10:10abortion care to preserve the life of a pregnant person or to prevent risk of serious harm
10:15is a violation of state statutes and regulations and federal requirements, and it will result
10:22in disciplinary action. The Department is committed to protecting and improving access
10:28to comprehensive reproductive health care. We will not hesitate to take action to demonstrate
10:34that commitment. In January, we issued guidance to all licensed facilities and professionals
10:40outlining and underscoring their obligations to provide information about all reproductive
10:46health options and to not mislead or deceive. Earlier this month, we inaugurated a public
10:52awareness campaign focused on the dangers of anti-abortion centers previously referred
10:57to by the misnomer of crisis pregnancy centers, calling out the misinformation these centers
11:03peddle every day, deceiving people who are or may be pregnant. The tactics these centers
11:10use target people of color, young people, and those who may not have the means to afford
11:15a child. The tactics are insidious, dangerous, and a public health threat. Our work in abortion
11:23access includes stockpiling Mifepristone, developing a medication abortion toolkit for
11:29public colleges and universities, providing grants to support infrastructure and security,
11:35and founding a medication abortion fellowship. But preserving reproductive rights is embedded
11:41in something greater than fellowships, medications, and information. It's grounded in the ideals
11:48of equity, justice, and human rights. Accessing comprehensive reproductive health care is
11:55about individuals making decisions that are right and best for them. It's about freedom.
12:02We will not stop in our efforts. We will protect the rights of people across Massachusetts,
12:08the women seeking care, the pregnant people looking for education about their options,
12:13the medical providers doing this important work. We'll use every tool available to protect
12:19and promote health for all people in the Commonwealth. I'd like to now turn the podium over to Attorney
12:25General Campbell for some remarks.
12:28Good morning, everyone. First of all, I'm absolutely grateful to be here with this incredible
12:39coalition of leaders, this incredible coalition of leadership, including, of course, our Governor
12:46and Lieutenant Governor, and really grateful for all of us coming together, not just to
12:51stand in solidarity, but frankly, to think about how we use the tools available to us
12:56in our respective positions to protect reproductive health care. So delighted to be here. And
13:02why are we here? We're here because two years ago today, the Supreme Court in the Dobbs
13:07decision eliminated abortion protections for Americans. And since that decision, states
13:13across the country have begun a full-on attack on bodily autonomy, including banning access
13:19to abortion care, and in some states, criminalizing providers and patients who seek this necessary
13:26health care. And now we await another decision by the Supreme Court that could frankly cause
13:32even more confusion, fear, and restriction to abortion care. The court will rule on an
13:39Imtala case that would essentially dictate how close to death a person must be in order
13:46to receive emergency abortion care. Why should the average person care about this? This issue
13:54is not merely about abortion care. It's about one's right to have a child or not to have
14:01a child, and the right to parent children in a safe and healthy environment. It's also
14:08about those who may be deciding whether or not to have a child, and if something goes
14:12terribly wrong, to make a personal and thoughtful decision with their provider without the interference
14:19of government. This is a life or death issue. This is a human rights issue, and everyone
14:27should care. And here in Massachusetts locally, we must remain vigilant in ensuring our residents,
14:33of course, have access to care that is uninterrupted. And simultaneously, we must play a national
14:38role by being a beacon of hope and a place where folks can come and can turn to for life-saving
14:44care. Our state's leadership on civil rights and health care absolutely demand it. I am
14:52proud to not only represent Massachusetts, I'm absolutely proud to be the Attorney General
14:56of this incredible state. Indeed, AGs across the country are at the forefront of this work
15:03in ensuring our folks are protected. And I've been reminding folks, if you don't know who
15:08your AG is or what the office does, now is absolutely the time to pay attention and to
15:15get involved. It is the AGs across the country, and I'll name it Democratic AGs, but AGs across
15:22the country that are on the front lines of fighting for basic rights, of course, rights
15:27to reproductive health care and sexual health care. It is the AGs who are filing briefs
15:33with the Supreme Court on a regular basis to protect access to medication abortion and
15:38emergency abortion care. It is the AGs who are taking on, of course, misinformation that
15:44are coming out of CPCs in partnership with our health agencies within our respective
15:49states. And I am proud that as a Massachusetts Attorney General, I've been asked to lead
15:53a national working group on reproductive rights to defend not only those rights, but also
15:59to defend the rights to access to contraception and everything having to do with access to
16:04gender-affirming care. It's all related. And as chair of this national rights working
16:10group, I had the honor and privilege of actually recently going to Texas and being on the ground
16:15in a state that is at the extreme end of this conversation. And to listen to folks share
16:22their very personal stories, including one mother, talk about getting a diagnosis in
16:28week 20, and her and her husband deciding that they needed to terminate that pregnancy
16:34because the health care of the child was, frankly, going to lead to death once the child
16:39was born. They had the resources to go to another state to get that care. She also remarked,
16:46and this was her story, that she was a white woman with privilege who had resources to
16:50be able to go to another state to access that care. But another mother, who was a woman
16:54of color, did not. She had a similar diagnosis and had to carry her child, who she knew was
17:00going to die, to full term, and then give birth to that daughter and hold that daughter
17:06as that daughter died in her arms. This is indeed a life and death issue and a human
17:12rights issue. So as I get on the plane to come back to Massachusetts, I am absolutely
17:17proud to stand with every single person that is behind me, all of you, to do what we can,
17:22not only in this state to help our residents, but most importantly, to lead nationally.
17:28Massachusetts is a leader, and that is our reputation, and that hasn't changed. So I'm
17:32grateful to the governor and her team for the executive order, continuing to be proactive
17:37and not reactive. And lastly, I just have to stress, because we were just in Western
17:41Mass, and we care about regional equity, and we were just in Western Mass with Professor
17:48Loretta Ross, who is a champion in this space. And frankly, her and other black women leaders
17:54developed the reproductive justice framework. And as she said, as we do this work, we must
17:59remain hopeful, because the universe is on our side. And we have every tool to protect
18:06bodily autonomy and the rights of every citizen, every resident in Massachusetts, and of course,
18:11nationally. So thank you all for being here. And it is my honor and privilege to turn it
18:15over to one of my favorite senators, Senator Sinise Friedman. Thank you.
18:26Thank you, Attorney General Campbell, and to our governor and lieutenant governor for
18:30allowing me to say a few words. We should be beyond grateful, beyond grateful, and never
18:38forget what we have in an administration that takes this so seriously and is so proactive.
18:47We are truly lucky. When the Supreme Court opinion on DOBS was leaked on 2022, I filed
18:54an amendment to the fiscal year 2023 budget that would protect providers, residents, and
18:59visitors to the Commonwealth who engage in legally protected reproductive and gender
19:04affirming care. The Senate president was right by my side. The language obsessed by
19:09the legislature soon after and signed by the governor as we watch the rights of women being
19:15eroded across the country by courts and right wing leaders who are clearly either deeply
19:21disrespectful of women or completely afraid of them. And they should be when you look
19:26at who's behind me, all these amazing women and the men who support them.
19:34This language put Massachusetts at the forefront of efforts to protect its residents and visitors
19:39from bounty style and anti-abortion and anti-gender affirming care laws in other states, mandate
19:45health insurance coverage for abortion and abortion related care, and ensure access to
19:50emergency contraception. Since then, under the continued leadership of Senate President
19:55Karen Spilka, the Senate continues to uplift and protect those delivering and receiving
20:02reproductive care, funding grants for improvements to reproductive health services, infrastructure,
20:08safety, and providing funding for the organizations that provide such care. More recently in the
20:14FY25 budget, we took steps that require insurers to cover fertility preservation services.
20:21The Senate President also called together a Senate working group on reproductive care
20:26at the beginning of the legislative session to ensure that we not let up on our efforts
20:31to secure the right to choose here in Massachusetts. I can assure you that the Senate will always
20:38be actively supportive of all efforts to protect women's access to safe and available reproductive
20:45health care, and we stand proudly on the right side of history. The Senate will continue
20:52to be a strong partner with the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and
20:56colleagues in the House to ensure that women, as well as all of our residents, maintain
21:02control over their bodies and their health care decisions and get the care they need
21:08when they need it. Now I would like to invite Valerie Fleischman, Executive Vice President
21:13and Chief Innovation Officer of the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association to the podium.
21:19Thank you so much.
21:27Thank you. Thank you, Senator Friedman, for your leadership. And a big thank you to Governor
21:31Healy and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll and all of the incredible leaders who are gathered
21:36here today. You are what make our world-class health care system possible.
21:43I am here proudly representing hospitals, health systems, and providers in the Commonwealth,
21:48and I'm here to reiterate a pledge that we made two years ago when the Dobbs ruling was
21:54handed down. To the women and the birthing people in Massachusetts, hear us loud and
22:01clear. We are here for you today and every day, and we will not stop fighting on your
22:08behalf, not just to preserve, but to expand the safe and accessible reproductive care
22:15you deserve.
22:17Two years ago, June 24th, was a dark day. But in the time since, it has become exceedingly
22:25clear that the Supreme Court decision is no match for the will and resolve of Massachusetts.
22:34Our hospitals and health systems have been working daily to secure protections for our
22:39caregivers that are at the heart of these services, to inform patients of their rights,
22:45and to ensure that our state remains a beacon for access for reproductive care for all.
22:53And none of this would be possible without strong, proactive leadership. We are enormously
22:59fortunate to have a governor and a state legislature that shares our urgency on these
23:05issues. They have stood with us and us with them every step of the way, and we do not
23:12take their advocacy, their actions, or their courage to lead for granted.
23:19Today's executive order is yet another purposeful and powerful step toward preserving emergency
23:25abortion services here in Massachusetts, services that are often lifesaving. Governor Healey,
23:32MHA, and our members applaud your leadership on this important measure. It will once again
23:38allow our hospitals and health care providers to remain prepared for anything that comes
23:44their way. It will allow them to continue to do what they do best, to care for patients,
23:51and to do that without fear or apprehension. And most importantly, it protects our patients
23:58in the Commonwealth.
24:01Abortion care is health care. Gender-affirming care is health care. Reproductive care is
24:07health care. And here in the Commonwealth, we will do everything necessary to keep it
24:13that way.
24:15On behalf of caregivers in our Commonwealth, thank you again for your leadership and for
24:20having me here today. It is now my pleasure to introduce Rebecca Hartholder, President
24:26of Reproductive Equity Now.
24:37Thank you so much, Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, for inviting me to speak
24:41this morning and for your continued national leadership to advance reproductive equity
24:47across Massachusetts.
24:50As you've heard before, today marks two years since the Dobbs decision came down from
24:54Donald Trump's far-right Supreme Court. Two years since we stood outside the State
24:59House and wept but made you a promise that we would not back down.
25:07Over the course of the last two years, anti-abortion extremists have waged an all-out war on our
25:12bodily autonomy, banning abortion in 21 states, criminalizing patients and providers, and
25:19forcing people across the country to carry life-threatening pregnancies to term.
25:25But here in Massachusetts, we have stood up to this devastating extremism with bold and
25:31proactive action. Here in Massachusetts, we have gone on offense. We've passed, as you've
25:38heard, best-in-the-nation protections for abortion and gender-affirming care providers,
25:44including protections for providers who offer telehealth abortion to patients out-of-state.
25:50Because of this work, thousands of mifepristone pills are being shipped out of Massachusetts
25:56every month to ensure that people in banned states are still able to access basic health
26:02care.
26:04We've worked with many of the people behind us to make sure that abortion is more affordable
26:09by mandating insurance coverage for care and made medication abortion more accessible to
26:15college students by expanding access to public colleges and universities.
26:20We've secured nearly $20 million for abortion access in the state budgets, making it clear
26:27that Massachusetts budgets reflect Massachusetts values.
26:32And the Governor, under her leadership, stockpiled 15,000 doses of mifepristone in advance of
26:38the Supreme Court's decision in the mifepristone case.
26:43In partnership with the Attorney General, we launched the Abortion Legal Hotline to
26:46connect patients and providers with pro bono legal advice on their rights to offer and
26:52obtain abortion care.
26:54And today, we launched a $75,000 ad campaign across the state to amplify the hotline as
26:59a resource for people to get trusted answers about accessing abortion.
27:05We worked with Commissioner Goldstein and the Healy-Driscoll Administration to launch
27:09the nation's first state-funded public education campaign on the dangers of anti-abortion centers.
27:15And now, with the House's passage last week of a comprehensive maternal health care bill,
27:20we are on the road to passing that bill.
27:22And I want to be clear, there is a direct correlation between abortion bans and the
27:27safety of labor and delivery.
27:31But we have a hard truth to face.
27:32There is more work to do.
27:34Unfortunately, the Dobbs decision is not the endgame.
27:38It is a midpoint in the attack on our basic right to control our reproductive destiny.
27:45Right now, we await another Supreme Court decision that will decide whether pregnant
27:49people should be able to access life-saving and life-stabilizing abortion care in the
27:54case of a medical emergency.
27:56Essentially, the Court will decide, probably this week, whether patients experiencing pregnancy
28:03complications should be able to live.
28:08Anti-abortion extremists want to put politicians in exam rooms.
28:11They want to stand in the way of emergency medical care.
28:14And they want to ban abortion in all circumstances, no matter the consequence to people's health.
28:21But here in Massachusetts, we are not going to let that stand.
28:25We are so proud to have worked with the Healey administration on the creation of this Executive
28:29Order.
28:30This EO will ensure that hospitals in our state continue to treat abortion care as the
28:35life-saving and life-affirming care that it is.
28:39This Executive Order will continue to make Massachusetts a beacon for reproductive health
28:43care in a post-rural world, no matter what the U.S. Supreme Court does.
28:49This Executive Order will save lives.
28:53Thank you, Governor Healey, for your continued leadership, your bold vision, and your relentless
28:57commitment to going on offense in a post-Dobbs world.
29:01It's my pleasure to introduce my favorite governor, Maury Healey.
29:09Thank you, everybody.
29:11Many thanks to all of our speakers and to all of our attendees.
29:15A lot of people here worked really, really hard over the last few weeks, including folks
29:19from our office and our legal office, working with DPH and DOI in particular, but with all
29:25of the folks represented here, because we wanted to put forward the most comprehensive
29:30and the most thoughtful and proactive Executive Order that we could.
29:35So thank you all.
29:37And I just want to say special thanks to the providers out there who are doing this work
29:42every single day under any number of threats, and we really appreciate them and their work
29:48so, so much.
29:49With that, we're happy to take questions on topic.
30:00Absolutely not.
30:01Absolutely not.
30:02I won't put one dime or any energy or effort or personnel into enforcing laws that are
30:10a direct violation of freedom and women's freedom and autonomy and the right to make
30:16decisions for themselves and the right to access needed healthcare.
30:19So that's my position.
30:21It's also really important that we make sure that we enshrine in law and in policy and
30:25regulation and in guidance and in practice, which includes having sufficient numbers of
30:31providers.
30:32Again, we appreciate the nurse practitioners, the nurses, the doctors, the doulas, all who
30:36are in this space, and we know we need to do more and need to do more to support them
30:42too in the work that they're providing, particularly at a time where we're seeing increased utilization
30:47here in Massachusetts.
30:49Because for those who think that those bans in 21 other states don't have an impact on
30:53Massachusetts, we want to be really clear.
30:56This impacts everyone in Massachusetts.
30:58All of this stuff that's happening at the national level impacts our state.
31:02It's the reason why hundreds more women have had to travel great distances in some instances
31:08to Massachusetts for needed care.
31:10And what that means for existing providers is that they have to really work under a lot
31:15of strain because they've got an existing capacity that they want to be able to meet.
31:19So it puts people at risk.
31:21We've got our insurance companies represented here too, and also our providers.
31:26The other thing that happens with all these bans is that they push people away from earlier
31:30stage needed abortion.
31:32Remember, there are all sorts of reasons why women need abortion, okay?
31:38And what happens is you force women in these other states to forgo earlier stage abortion
31:44that is safer, that is more effective, and that does not pose risk to a woman.
31:50And also, what you're doing is you're forcing them to later stage care in other states,
31:54which again, only contributes more to capacity challenges here, puts women more at risk,
32:01and also ends up costing a lot, lot more.
32:04So these are all reasons why Massachusetts, to be clear, we are not in a bubble.
32:08And you know there is not a state right now in this country that is more aligned in collective
32:12commitment to making sure that we protect women and that we protect freedom.
32:16There's no state more aligned.
32:18It is also the case that all of us in Massachusetts are at risk and threatened and harmed by these
32:25draconian extremist agendas and positions, whether they're perpetrated by state legislatures
32:31or Republican governors, or whether they come from our own United States Supreme Court.
32:35Governor, what does this mean?
32:37What changes does this mean for our communities?
32:41Why is it so important to be clear that women are already disabled?
32:45I think it's really important to be clear to women, to providers, to insurers, and all
32:50throughout Massachusetts, that women will continue to receive emergency care, life-saving
32:57care, including abortion.
32:59We anticipate a decision from the United States Supreme Court this week.
33:03And if passed as prologue, and the fact that a former president in Donald Trump was able
33:08to stack a court that overturned Roe, taking us 50 years backwards, we have to be prepared.
33:14We have to be ready, and we wanted to be really clear about the law here in Massachusetts,
33:19what it is, and what it will continue to be.
33:22And again, I appreciate the work.
33:24Collectively, this is important, too, when you have the insurance community, our healthcare
33:28provider community, clinics, hospitals, and centers coming forward with lawmakers, with
33:33the Attorney General's Office, and with our agencies of DOI and DPH, to be really clear
33:40in advance of any decision.
33:42Governor, can you talk about your second ordinance, D.H. Guidance, applies to later-stage abortions?
33:47Sure.
33:48I'll let Commissioner Goldstein take care of that.
33:51Yes.
33:52This guidance applies to all stages that are legal under the current Massachusetts law
33:56and in the context of the current Massachusetts Constitution.
33:59So, it does apply to later stages as well.
34:02It just makes very clear what are the requirements of healthcare providers and healthcare facilities.
34:08Governor, do you think that's a good job for women, men, and young women to have the
34:14opportunity to backbite, at least in parts of the world, in places like Iowa, Michigan,
34:19which have been traumatized by abortion rights, to move on to backbite against abortion rights?
34:23I don't know.
34:24I'm not a political pundit.
34:26But I'll tell you this.
34:27There are a lot of people across this country, across the political spectrum, who understand
34:33that this is about freedom.
34:35This is about a woman's ability to make choices for herself, for her family, for her life.
34:42And I think that most Americans get that in states all across this country.
34:46And I think that it will continue to be an issue that is front and center, as it should be,
34:51because it could not be more clear.
34:53If you follow what has happened, not just with respect to courts, which, by the way,
34:58are not just the Supreme Court.
35:00There are federal courts that have been populated by extremist anti-abortion judges over the
35:05last few years.
35:06It's also what's playing out in state legislatures.
35:09And it's unrelenting, because it wasn't enough to curtail abortion or to curtail medication abortion.
35:15Then they went after IVF.
35:17Then they went after contraception.
35:19The beat will go on and on and on, which is why you see so many people standing up in
35:24force, so many people outraged about what's happening.
35:27And it will continue to be front and center, I know, over the next few months, because
35:31the contrast could not be more stark.
35:38I think the other reason it was important, Katie, to make clear with this guidance what
35:42Massachusetts protections are is we need to also make sure that providers here understand
35:48that they are protected.
35:50And as our great legislative leaders have talked about and our Attorney General talked
35:54about, I know that in this state we will continue to enforce things like the SHIELD
35:58law.
35:59It is very important, having spoken with providers who are afraid, literally, Massachusetts
36:05providers are afraid to travel to other states for fear that they will be interrogated,
36:11investigated, apprehended.
36:13We want to be really clear that Massachusetts has their back.
36:17We appreciate the work that they're doing.
36:19We appreciate the care that they are giving to women.
36:22And we are here for them.
36:32No, it's currently a stockpile that's held.
36:34And we're going to continue to hold on to that stockpile, because I don't trust for
36:38a minute what the Supreme Court might do or what others might try to do in a Department
36:42of Justice or elsewhere.
36:46Thank you.