Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H5595: An Act prioritizing patient access to care
Status: Signed into law, August 10, 2026
What the bill says
An Act prioritizing patient access to care. of the same, as follows.
From the introduced text, July 22, 2026:
An Act prioritizing patient access to care. of the same, as follows: SECTION 1. Section 12N of chapter 112 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 1 to 9, inclusive, the words "no abortion may be performed except by a physician, and only if in the best medical judgement of the physician it (ii) necessary to preserve the patient's physical or mental health; (iii) warranted because of a lethal fetal anomaly or diagnosis; or (iv) warranted because of a grave fetal diagnosis that indicates that the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside of the uterus without extraordinary medical interventions" and inserting in place thereof the following words:- an abortion may be performed by a physician based upon the professional judgment of the physician. SECTION 2. Said chapter 112 is hereby further amended by striking out section 12N1/2 and inserting in place thereof the following section:- of Section 12N1/2. No medical review process shall override the professional judgment of a treating physician and a patient or the patient's health care proxy to provide an abortion consistent with section 12N. SECTION 3. Section 12P of said chapter 112, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph. of
Sponsors
- Whipps, Susannah M. (I, 2nd Franklin)
- Tommy Vitolo (D, 15th Norfolk)
- Erika Uyterhoeven (D, 27th Middlesex)
- Joshua Tarsky (D)
- Danillo Sena (D)
- Gregory Schwartz (D)
- Margaret Scarsdale (D)
- Amy Sangiolo (D)
- Adrianne Ramos (D)
- Steven Owens (D, 29th Middlesex)
- John Moran (D, 9th Suffolk)
- Jay Livingstone (D, 8th Suffolk)
Latest actions
- : Signed by the Governor, Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026
- : Enacted and laid before the Governor
- : Enacted - 121 YEAS to 35 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 262)
- : Read second, ordered to a third reading, read third and passed to be engrossed
- : Rules suspended
- : Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session
- : Referred to the committee on Senate Rules
- : Rules suspended
- : Read
- : Passed to be engrossed - 119 YEAS to 33 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 236)
Votes
- Enacted (July 31, 2026): 121 yea, 35 nay, passed
- Committee Vote - Senate Committee on Rules (July 30, 2026): 5 yea, 1 nay, passed
- Passed to be engrossed (July 22, 2026): 119 yea, 33 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H5595?
- H5595 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act prioritizing patient access to care.
- What does H5595 do?
- In its own words: An Act prioritizing patient access to care. of the same, as follows.
- What is the status of H5595?
- Signed into law as of August 10, 2026. Latest action: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026 (August 10, 2026).
- Who sponsored H5595?
- Whipps, Susannah M. (I, 2nd Franklin), with 11 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H5595?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5595
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.