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S 1579

Grants a retroactive parity payment to certain management and confidential retirees

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Robert Jackson

Massachusetts bill lets minors consent to abortion, expanding access to care.

REFERRED TO CIVIL SERVICE AND PENSIONS
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Bill Summary · S 1579

Summary — S.1579: "An Act to eliminate barriers and expand abortion access"

Note: The bill text provided is from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (Senate Docket No. 1579, filed Jan. 17, 2025) and is sponsored in the MA Senate by Liz Miranda (with several state legislators listed as petitioners). Some accompanying metadata appears inconsistent (references to U.S. Senate committees and U.S. Senators as sponsors). Below summary follows the Massachusetts bill text.

Purpose

The bill revises Massachusetts General Laws (Chapter 112) to reduce barriers to abortion care, explicitly recognize abortion-related services and providers, expand minors’ ability to consent to abortion, clarify informed-consent procedures, and strengthen confidentiality and record-retention rules.

Key provisions

  • New definitions added to Chapter 112, §12K:

    • “Abortion-related care” — medically appropriate services complementary to an abortion.
    • “Provider” — licensed health professional acting within scope of practice who may perform an abortion or provide related care.
    • “Provider facility” — structure where abortions or abortion-related care are performed.

  • Replacement of §12R (informed consent and confidentiality):

    • Requires written informed consent from the patient prior to performing an abortion; the Department of Public Health commissioner must prescribe the consent form.
    • Consent must be signed in advance of the scheduled procedure except in emergencies; the bill explicitly prohibits imposing any waiting period between signing consent and obtaining the abortion.
    • The clinician (physician, PA, nurse practitioner, or nurse midwife) performing the abortion must retain the consent form and destroy it seven years after the abortion date.
    • Consent forms and related documents are confidential and may be released only with the patient’s written consent or by judicial order. They may be shared with the patient, the clinician who performed the abortion, or any person whose consent is obtained under applicable law.

  • Amendments to §12F (minors’ consent):

    • Paragraph (2) rewritten to allow any minor to consent to “their medical care, including abortion, or dental care” (gender-neutral wording and explicit inclusion of abortion).
    • Paragraph (3) amended by striking the words “abortion or” (removing an explicit reference where it previously appeared).

Who is affected

  • Minors seeking abortion and other medical care: the bill explicitly permits minors to consent to abortion care.
  • Licensed health care providers (physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives) and provider facilities: new definitions, recordkeeping and confidentiality obligations.
  • Department of Public Health: tasked with prescribing the consent form.
  • Patients: strengthened confidentiality protections and elimination of any legislated waiting period between signing consent and receiving care.

Procedural status & timeline (as provided)

  • Introduced in MA Senate: 05/01/2025 (filed 01/17/2025).
  • Referred to Committee on Public Health (02/27/2025).
  • House concurred (02/27/2025) per supplied metadata.
  • Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders, Calendar No. 95 (06/18/2025).
  • Hearing scheduled: 07/10/2025, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM (location A-1).

Notes and caveats

  • The provided metadata mixes state (Massachusetts) and federal (U.S. Senate) information and lists U.S. Senators as sponsors—these appear to be erroneous or conflated. The bill text and docket numbering correspond to a Massachusetts state bill sponsored by Senator Liz Miranda.
  • The bill’s exact operational effect depends on the current text of Chapter 112 sections being replaced and how courts interpret the removal of “abortion or” from §12F(3); readers should consult the existing statute for precise legal changes.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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