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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Groups: MA Should Protect Abortion Patients, Providers From Other States

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Thursday, May 5, 2022   

Groups are calling on Massachusetts to pass legislation protecting patients and providers from other states' restrictive abortion laws in the event the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Politico obtained and released a draft majority opinion this week indicating five of the nine high-court justices would vote to overturn the landmark decision affirming the right to an abortion.

Margaret Batten, board member of the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund, said it is important for people in Massachusetts to understand abortion is still legal, and will be in the Commonwealth even if the draft opinion becomes official.

"People in Massachusetts should understand that others in increasingly nearby states will not be as fortunate," Batten pointed out. "There will be a need for people to support those seeking abortion care and having to travel to get it."

Nearly three-quarters of Americans oppose overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a Marquette Law School poll. Just under 30% support overturning the decision. Pro-choice advocates and lawmakers rallied at the State House this week to make their opposition to the draft opinion clear.

Dozens of states have so-called "trigger laws" on the books to ban or restrict abortion immediately if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Batten hopes Massachusetts will step up and allocate state dollars for abortion funds, to help both Commonwealth residents and out-of-state people seeking abortions afford and access the care they need.

"I think there's a lot that we can do to reduce the stigma around abortion care," Batten asserted. "Abortion is an incredibly common medical procedure. Estimates are that one in four women in the United States will have an abortion in their lifetime."

Batten added there are various approaches states guaranteeing the right to abortions can take to support those in more restrictive states.

For instance, Connecticut this week passed a law protecting patients and providers from other states, and New York is eyeing similar legislation. And California lawmakers are working on a bill to make the state a "sanctuary" for abortions and those who seek them.


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