Myrna Maloney Flynn, the president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life (MCFL), condemned in a statement Governor Maura Healey's chemical abortion executive order, which aims to protect abortion providers in Massachusetts from prosecution if they perform abortions or distribute abortion pills to women who come to Massachusetts for the procedure because it is illegal in their home states.

During a State House press conference, Governor Healey also announced that even before Judge Kacsmaryk's ruling last Friday -which paused FDA approval of the first of two abortion pills prescribed in a chemical abortion- she had procured 15,000 mifepristone doses to ensure that "medication abortion will remain safe, legal, and accessible" in the State.

"Mifepristone is a drug which has one singular purpose: to end the life of a human being. So what Governor Healey did last week was to order not 15,000 "doses" but 15,000 deaths. And since chemical abortion is far more dangerous than surgical procedures, Healey continues to put Massachusetts women and girls at risk," Maloney Flynn stated.

Below is the complete statement from MCFL's president Myrna Maloney Flynn:

PRESIDENT MYRNA MALONEY FLYNN'S STATEMENT:

GOVERNOR HEALEY’S CHEMICAL ABORTION EXECUTIVE ORDER

Mifepristone's purpose is to end human life; abortion tourism likely.

Boston, MA, April 10, 2023 – Today, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey issued an executive order intended to protect the state's abortion providers from prosecution, if those providers perform abortions on or dispense abortion pills to women who travel to Massachusetts for the procedure because their home states have outlawed it. Healey also told listeners at a State House press conference that, even before Judge Kacsmaryk's ruling last Friday, which halted FDA approval of the first of two abortion pills prescribed in a chemical abortion, she ordered 15,000 mifepristone doses in an effort to ensure that, "Medication abortion will remain safe, legal, and accessible here in the Commonwealth."

Mifepristone is a drug which has one singular purpose: to end the life of a human being. So what Governor Healey did last week was to order not 15,000 “doses” but 15,000 deaths. And since chemical abortion is far more dangerous than surgical procedures, Healey continues to put Massachusetts women and girls at risk. Abortion pills have a complication rate four times higher than other abortion methods, and are more likely to result in emergency room visits. As many as one in five women will experience complications, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute.  

Since the day it approved the sale of mifepristone to uninformed abortion providers and American citizens, our federal government has failed the women of this country. The FDA should have never approved mifepristone because its process was rushed for political reasons. And more importantly, in its approval, the FDA mistakenly considered pregnancy to be a life threatening condition, which it is not. But because the abortion industry offers financial and political benefits to all involved in its growth, the FDA ignored women’s safety and wellbeing. The fact that women were originally required to complete three doctor's visits when taking mifepristone but may now obtain a mifepristone prescription via a mere telehealth appointment -- no doctor visit required -- is consistent with how the FDA prioritizes politics over ethical considerations of women's best interests.

Judge Kacsmaryk’s decision allows the truth to be examined. When women’s health is at stake, such an examination is critical and should be welcomed, regardless of how you feel about abortion. The ruling in Washington state that counters the Texas decision all but assures higher courts will weigh in, very likely the U.S Supreme Court. We look forward to seeing the outcome.

Healey may claim her executive order will protect healthcare providers. Yet what we expect to see in practice is that it allows Massachusetts abortionists to sell mifepristone to women who live in states where it is illegal. There were about 8,300 chemical abortions in Massachusetts in 2021 (the most recent data available from the Department of Health and Human Services Registry of Vital Records and Statistics). Our governor just ordered 15,000 chemical abortion pills. While chemical abortion is on the rise here, there won’t be 15,000 Massachusetts women who seek one in the next year. The order for 15,000 is excessive – unless the state hopes to profit from abortion tourism, which appears to be our governor’s intent.

Plymouth Rock, Fenway Park, Old Ironsides and abortion. What a shame.