Testimony heard on ‘extreme’ abortion bills

By Sandra Kucharski

Special to The Catholic Free Press

BOSTON – Hundreds of pro-lifers descended on the State House Monday to attend the public hearing of HB 3320 and SB 1209, known as the ROE Act, which would allow expanded access to abortion, from the current 24 weeks gestation through all nine months of pregnancy. 

Arriving early to attend an hour-long outdoor rally before the hearing began, many people wore red T-shirts with the words “Choose Life Not Infanticide,” referring to a portion of the bills that would allow a baby born alive after an attempted abortion to be left to die. The sea of red then moved inside the State House, where opponents waited to get a seat in the hearing room. Owing to the size of the crowd, overflow seating had to be set up in the Great Hall, where many viewed the hearing via a live stream.

The Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony on the ROE Act for nearly eight hours. Panel after panel, of proponents and opponents representing various organizations, followed by individuals, presented their testimonies within the three-minute time limit. Organizations opposed to the bill included the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, Massachusetts Family Institute, Renew MA Coalition, Massachusetts Citizens for Life, the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund, Students for Life, the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and Liberty Counsel. 

Andrew Beckwith, president of Mass. Family Institute, called the bill “extreme.” 

James F. Driscoll, executive director of MCC, the public policy office for Massachusetts’ bishops, identified four areas of concern with the proposed legislation. First was the expanded abortion access during the nine months of pregnancy, for virtually any reason.  He then noted the bills also eliminate the requirement that late-term abortions be performed in a hospital; eliminate the provision of giving medical care to a baby who survives an attempted abortion; and eliminate the need for parental, guardian or judicial consent for a minor under the age of 18. In addition, the bills would expand state funding for women who cannot afford abortion. He reiterated Church teaching that all life is sacred from conception until natural death.

Proponents of the bills, many wearing pink T-shirts declaring that “Abortion is health care,” argued for the need to end what they see as harmful restrictions on abortion that block women from care. Representatives from Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Rights Action League, and the American Civil Liberties Union, among others, argued that women pregnant with a baby diagnosed with severe fetal abnormalities need expanded access to abortion to mitigate the emotional distress of carrying a baby that will die either in utero or shortly after birth. Current state law, however, does allow abortion when there is “a substantial risk of grave impairment of physical or mental health.” 

In subsequent testimony, Dr. Kathi Aultman, a former abortionist now retired, laid to waste the idea that women benefit from late-term abortion if a doctor has diagnosed a fatal fetal abnormality. 

Over the coming weeks the committee will consider all submitted oral and written testimony. 

– Those who wish to comment on the bills can call Joint Judiciary Committee chairs Rep. Claire Cronin at 617-722-2396 and Sen. Jamie Eldridge at 617-722-1120. Voters may express their opinion on HB 3320 and SB 1209. Asking that the bills remain in committee would essentially kill the bills.