Massachusetts, In Fear of Future Pro-Life Protections, Passes NASTY Women Act

"This whole legislation is an exercise in posturing and pandering," Catholic Action League of Massachusetts executive director C.J. Doyle said.

By Liberty McArtor Published on July 24, 2018

Massachusetts legislators want to make sure state citizens have access to abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade gets overturned. Last week, the state passed the Negating Archaic Statues Targeting Young Women, or NASTY Women, Act. 

“NASTY Women” plays on the phrase popularized by actress Ashley Judd’s viral “I am Nasty Woman” speech at the Women’s March following President Trump’s inauguration.  

The NASTY Women Act repeals a 173-year-old state law banning abortion.

Though the old law was still on the books, it had already been overridden. As Time reported, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Massachusetts’ women’s access to abortion in 1981.

Senate President Harriette Chandler argued the legislation was necessary, and something the state wanted to do for a long time. “Nothing is impossible, and we’ve got to have a ‘plan B.'”

“This whole legislation is an exercise in posturing and pandering,” countered C.J. Doyle. He’s the executive director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. “We’re a very long way from overturning Roe v. Wade. To listen to some of the rhetoric, you will think that the day after Kavanaugh is confirmed, it will be overturned.”

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President Donald Trump appointed Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the U.S. Supreme Court this month. Since then, Democrats and pro-abortion groups have vocally worried about the future of so-called abortion rights.

Overturning Roe is no doubt a goal of many pro-life advocates. But even conservatives warn it isn’t certain that it will be overturned, at least any time soon.

Republican Governor to Sign NASTY Women Act

Still, Massachusetts’s Republican governor Charlie Baker promised to sign the NASTY Women Act. “There are many folks in the women’s health community that were particularly concerned about this,” he said. “The lieutenant governor and I and other folks on our team discussed it, and we do plan to sign it.”

Baker is pro-abortion.

For their part, pro-lifers are committed to continuing the fight for life, no matter what happens to Roe.

David Franks is the chairman of the board for Massachusetts Citizens for Life. “Our game plan is to more vigorously pursue education on this and jumpstart a civic conversation about the dignity of every human life,” he said. “If Roe were to be overturned, every state in the union would have to have this conversation. We are gearing up for that with educational initiatives.”

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