We are excited to provide you with an update on the legislative activities of Massachusetts Citizens for Life (MCFL) during this session. MCFL has been diligently working to promote life-affirming bills and oppose anti-life legislation. Here is a brief recap of where these bills stand:
Bills to Support
Pending Hearings
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H. 1783 - An Act relative to Abortion Pill Reversal
- Hearing Date: To be announced
- This bill mandates that those dispensing chemical abortion drugs must fully inform women who are contemplating a chemical abortion about the availability of a procedure to interrupt the chemical abortion process and save their baby, if they change their mind.
H.1783 has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. We will inform you of the hearing date as soon as it becomes available. For more information and talking points on this bill, please click here. You can also contact the Joint Committee of the Judiciary members using the provided emails and phone numbers here.
Hearings Done, Waiting for a Vote
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H.2181 - An Act relative to protecting women’s health; restore born-alive protection - Study Order H.4111
- Status: Following the public hearing conducted by the Joint Committee on Public Health, Bill H.2181 and Bill H.2277 were referred to the House Rules Committee under Study Order H.4111.
- Action: We strongly recommend that Massachusetts residents reach out to their representatives and encourage them to vote in favor of scheduling these bills for deliberation on the House floor. -
H.587 - An Act relative to securing parental consent for human sexuality education
- Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Education
- Action: You can send written testimony for this bill using our Legislative Action Center here, or directly contact the members of the Joint Committee on Education using the provided emails and phone numbers here. -
H.1463 - An Act relative to unborn victims of violence
- Status: Referred to Joint Committee on the Judiciary
- Action: You can send written testimony for this bill using our Legislative Action Center here, or directly contact the members of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary using the provided emails and phone numbers. -
H.2277 - An Act relative to Down syndrome - Study Order H.4111
- Status: Following the public hearing conducted by the Joint Committee on Public Health, Bill H.2277 and Bill H.2181 were referred to the House Rules Committee under Study Order H.4111.
- Action: We strongly recommend that Massachusetts residents reach out to their representatives and encourage them to vote in favor of scheduling these bills for deliberation on the House floor. -
H.2887 - An Act relative to taxpayer conscience protection
- Status: referred to Joint Committee on Revenue
- Action: You can send written testimony for this bill using our Legislative Action Center here, or directly contact the members of the Joint Committee on Revenue using the provided emails and phone numbers here.
Bills to Oppose
Pending Hearings
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H. 1599 - "An Act enhancing access to abortion care"
- Among other things, this dangerous bill will keep parents from knowing their minor child’s abortion-related information; allow infanticide of babies who survive an attempted abortion; target pregnancy resource centers with a defamatory public education campaign; and increase the number of abortionists in Massachusetts. The full text and talking points against this bill are available here.
- This bill is assigned to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary and has not yet been scheduled for a hearing. We will inform you of the hearing date as soon as it becomes available. You can contact the Joint Committee members using the provided emails and phone numbers here.
Hearings Done, Waiting for a Vote
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H.377 - An Act to protect patient privacy and prevent unfair and deceptive advertising by pregnancy related services (a.k.a. Pregnancy Resource Centers Gag Rule)
- Status: This bill had a public hearing on July 24, 2023, and is assigned to the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure. For more information and talking points on this bill, please click here.
- Action: The committee will accept written testimonies in opposition to this bill until they vote to move the bill forward or not. You can send written testimony opposing this bill using our Legislative Action Center here, or contact committee members directly using the provided emails and phone numbers here. -
H.2246/S.1331 - An Act relative to end-of-life options (Doctor-Prescribed Suicide)
- The assisted suicide lobby is seeking to legalize assisted suicide in Massachusetts.
- Status: H.2246/S.1331 had a public hearing on October 20, 2023. You can view the in-person testimony of MCFL Executive Director Patricia Stewart here (testimony begins about 45 minutes into the hearing).
- Action: If you have not yet submitted opposition testimony, you may quickly do so via our Legislative Action Center here. We've drafted a sample that includes key talking points, which you are free to edit or submit as written. You can also contact the Joint Committee on Public Health members using the provided emails and phone numbers here. -
S.268 An Act relative to healthy youth
- Status: This bill had a public hearing on October 11, 2023, and is assigned to the Joint Committee on Education. For more information and talking points on this bill, please click here.
- Action: The committee will accept written testimonies in opposition to this bill until they vote to move the bill forward or not. You can send written testimony opposing this bill using our Legislative Action Center here, or contact committee members directly using the provided emails and phone numbers here.
A friendly reminder: You have the option to use our Legislative Action Center to submit written testimonies for most of these bills. Your active participation in this vital legislative process is highly valued.
Assessing the 2023 Massachusetts Expanded Health Care Curriculum
The Massachusetts Board of Education recently approved a curriculum that raises serious concerns regarding radically revised health education standards for Pre-K to Grade 12. The curriculum encourages self-advocacy from an early age, potentially sidelining parental guidance, and lacks transparency, particularly in sexual health content, raising questions about topics like judicial bypass procedures for abortions without parental consent.
For more insights on this matter, we encourage you to read an article prepared by MCFL Executive Director Patricia Stewart. You can find the article here.
Great news!
Worcester will no longer attempt to "regulate" pregnancy resource centers (PRCs). After a months-long debate, the city council voted 7 to 4 on October 17th to permanently table the proposed ordinance, with the mayor calling it "unconstitutional." If passed, the ordinance would have prevented PRCs from operating effectively.
With our newly established Legislative Action Center, Massachusetts Citizens for Life played a pivotal role during the months of debate by facilitating the delivery of over 1600 email letters from Massachusetts residents to the Worcester city councilors, urging them to reject the proposed, unconstitutional legislation. To those of you who sent a statement of opposition, thank you! You brought about this pro-life win.
This decision spares two PRCs, Clearway Clinic and Problem Pregnancy, from potential adverse effects. What's next? As soon as we know who will decide the matter at the state level, we will send out an action alert, outlining what you can do to protect the good work of Worcester PRCs that benefits pregnant women and their children.
We appreciate your unwavering support for the value of human life!
The MCFL Team