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Rep. Claire Cronin discusses an amendment a further amendment on abortion rights in Massachusetts.
"For many of you, myself included, you are being called upon to act on something that may be contrary to the teachings of your faith. I get that," she said. #mapoli
"For many of you, myself included, you are being called upon to act on something that may be contrary to the teachings of your faith. I get that," she said. #mapoli
"But I remind you, one of our core American values is that we recognize and value the separation of church and state, and to be an elected leader requires the ability to do that," Cronin said.
Cronin read an email from a constituent, Laura, who shared why she got an abortion. They planned to welcome Leila into the world when they got a scan at 20 weeks showing severe complications.
She said she would have given anything for Leila to live, but multiple specialists told her she wouldn't live more than a few days. "As horrifying as this experience was, I am grateful that I had access to abortion care," Laura wrote.
"Luckily for Laura, she was just within 24 weeks of pregnancy, she was able to receive care from her own doctor," Cronin said.
Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad, who sponsored ROE Act that's similar to this amendment, said this is a reckoning as the country has elected a pro-choice Democrat but SCOTUS has a conservative majority.
"We know that our parental consent laws disproportionately affect low-income communities and communities of color," Haddad said. "This is untenable and frankly unfair."
She ends up going into detail about all the legwork a teen faces if one has to get judicial approval.
She ends up going into detail about all the legwork a teen faces if one has to get judicial approval.
House Minority Leader Brad Jones expresses frustration that lawmakers are pushing the abortion measure after House Speaker Robert DeLeo said he didn’t see the budget as a place for a major policy proposal.
“It’s disrespectful to every member of this institution, regardless of where you stand on this issue,” Jones said.
Rep. Michael Soter, a Bellingham Republican, said he is speaking not because he is "pro-life," but because this would affect him and other families who have adopted children who might have been aborted. He blasts House Speaker Robert DeLeo for backing this in a lame duck session.
"This isn’t about right versus left. This isn’t about taking away a woman’s right to choose. Let me assure my friends on the other side, there is no bill currently filed by our side to take away women’s rights," Soter said.
"They can’t smoke cigarettes. They can’t drink alcohol. They can’t vote," said Rep. Colleen Garry, adding recent bills have called for an end to child marriage. "If a child cannot legally marry, I don’t know how they can take part in a very emotional, very dangerous situation."
The abortion amendment passes 108 to 49.
Here's how House lawmakers voted on the abortion rights amendment. Roll call per @statehousenews.
