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U.S. NEWS Saturday 28 July 2018

Massachusetts 1st to repeal long-dormant ban on abortion

By BOB SALSBERG
Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — Massachu-
setts on Friday became the
first state since President
Donald Trump nominated
Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S.
Supreme Court to abolish
from its books an abortion
ban that predates the 1973
Roe v. Wade ruling.
Gov. Charlie Baker, a Re-
publican who supports
abortion rights, signed a
bill Friday that repeals the
unenforced ban with roots
dating to 1845, along with
other archaic statutes that
prohibited unmarried wom-
en from using contracep-
tives, and made adultery
and fornication criminal of-
fenses.
Baker called the laws “an-
tiquated, inappropriate,”
and in some cases, harm-
ful.
“Here in Massachusetts, we
will not compromise on a
woman’s right to her own
decisions,” he said. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signs legislation repealing the state’s archaic anti-abortion laws, in Boston on Friday, July 27,
Abortion rights proponents 2018.
fear Kavanaugh, whose Associated Press
nomination to replace Massachusetts. “The law- While not among the states they didn’t want to take
Anthony Kennedy on the suits necessary to overturn listed as having pre-Roe v. any chances.
high court is pending be- Roe are making their way Wade bans on the books, “With an uncertain future in
fore the U.S. Senate, could through the courts right the Democratic governors terms of federal action on
if confirmed tilt the court now.” of New York and Rhode Is- these issues, it’s up to the
toward undoing abortion Seventeen states already land have asked lawmak- states,” said House Speaker
protections in place since have laws that could be ers in their states to vote on Robert DeLeo, a Democrat.
Roe v. Wade, thereby po- used to restrict the legal legislation codifying abor- Baker was among only
tentially triggering old state status of abortions if Roe tion rights in light of the po- three Republican gover-
laws that haven’t been en- was overturned or severely tential shift in the Supreme nors who did not sign on
forced in decades. limited. Of those, Massa- Court. to a letter sent to Senate
“For years, Justice Ken- chusetts was among 10 In Massachusetts, a 1981 leaders earlier this week in
nedy has held together a states that still had pre- ruling by the state’s high- support of Kavanaugh’s
delicate balance on the Roe abortion bans on the est court protects access nomination.
Supreme Court protect- books, according to the to abortion, leading some Baker stopped short on Fri-
ing access to abortion and Guttmacher Institute, a na- critics of the so-called NAS- day of saying he outright
the fundamental ability tional research group that TY bill — short for Negating opposed Kavanaugh, say-
of women to control their supports abortion rights. Archaic Statutes Targeting ing he would hold off on
lives,” said Rebecca Hart Nine states have laws spe- Young Women — to ques- that judgment at least until
Holder, executive direc- cifically protecting abor- tion why the action was after the Senate holds hear-
tor of NARAL Pro-Choice tion rights, the institute said. necessary. Backers said ings on the nomination.q