Mass. Democrats reach deal on bill that strengthens transgender, reproductive health care protections
Beacon Hill Democrats said they reached a deal on legislation that aims to shore up transgender and reproductive health care laws in the state in the face of alleged threats from President Donald Trump’s administration.
The proposal updates a 2022 law that provided more protections for reproductive and transgender care in part by targeting technology service providers and state regulators who handle patient data and requiring hospitals to treat patients dealing with abortion-related emergencies.
Rep. Michael Day, a Stoneham Democrat who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee, and Sen. Cindy Friedman, an Arlington Democrat who co-chairs the Health Care Financing Committee, said the two chambers plan to send the proposal to Gov. Maura Healey Thursday.
“We are pleased to announce that we have resolved the very minor differences between the chambers and reached consensus on final language for this legislation. It is critical in this time that we stand up for the patients and providers of legally-protected health care in the Commonwealth,” Day and Friedman said in a statement.
The final language that the House and Senate plan to ship to the governor was not immediately available alongside Thursday morning’s announcement.
Lawmakers passed the original law in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the court decision that protected the right to an abortion under the United States Constitution.
But Democrats in Massachusetts have argued that more needs to be done to strengthen state statutes on transgender and reproductive health care since Trump took office in January and in the wake of more recent rulings from the nation’s highest court.
Legislative leaders have pointed to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that upheld a Tennessee law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatment for transgender minors, as well as other efforts by states to restrict abortion medication or even punish doctors elsewhere who prescribe pills.
In a statement last month, Senate President Karen Spilka said the “SHIELD Act” makes it clear that Democrats in Massachusetts “will not back down when it comes to protecting our residents and defending our values.”
“Our residents — indeed all Americans — deserve the right to make their own health care decisions in consultation with their providers. In Massachusetts, we do not discriminate based on the type of care you seek,” she said.
