Massachusetts is on the way to giving doctors the final say on whether an abortion should be allowed late in pregnancy, a move expected to affect few cases but that supporters say is needed because hospitals are now turning away women they should be serving.
The state Senate adopted the measure Friday, sending it to Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who has signed other laws strengthening abortion rights.
Under current Massachusetts law, abortion is legal for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy. It is allowed after that only if a physician using best medical judgment says it is necessary to preserve the life, physical or mental health of the woman, because of a lethal fetal anomaly or diagnosis or because the fetus wouldn't likely survive outside the uterus.
State Rep. Christine Barber said that under that framework, hospitals turned away some women for abortions late in pregnancy, even in a case where a fetus had a stroke and was determined to be unlikely to survive.
The new law would take out the list of specific reasons and say simply that it would be allowed “based on the professional judgment of the physician.”
Opponents say that it would allow abortion until birth — even on healthy fetuses — and that later abortions are more complex and risky for the women.
“While this legislation prioritizes access, it does not prioritize a woman’s safety,” Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, said in a video encouraging supporters to tell lawmakers to reject the bill.
If Healey signs it, the law would be the latest change to a U.S. abortion landscape that received a shock four years ago after a Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to enforce abortion bans.
Some already had bans on the books as they waited for permission to enforce them, and others adopted bans or restrictions after the ruling. Currently, 13 states are enforcing bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions. Another four bar it after about six weeks of pregnancy — which is often before women realize they are pregnant.
Several Democratic-controlled states have moved the other way, adding laws that seek to protect medical providers from prosecution for providing abortion to patients in other states. Massachusetts is among the states that has gone farthest, with a shield law that applies to those who prescribe abortion bills via telehealth to women in states where abortion is banned. Anti-abortion officials in Louisiana and Texas are testing those protections.
Most abortion-related state laws adopted this year have not made for major changes on when or how abortion is allowed.
For instance, a new Colorado law requires colleges that have student health centers to provide abortion pills for students starting in August 2027. Private schools that say it conflicts would their religious beliefs would be exempt.
A new Oklahoma law makes it a felony to buy or sell those pills for the purpose of an unlawful abortion for someone else.
FILE - Flowers adorn the lawn in front of the Massachusetts State House, July 24, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)
DETROIT (AP) — Davis Riley has put himself in a position to win on the PGA Tour for the first time in more than two years and to earn a postseason bid.
Riley shot a 7-under 63 to reach 15 under on Saturday and took a one-shot lead at Detroit Golf Club, where the relatively easy course will give a lot of players on the tightly-packed leaderboard a chance to win the last Rocket Classic.
Riley closed with consecutive birdies, making a 54-foot putt at No. 17 and a 10-footer at 18 to pull into a first-place tie with Michael Brennan
Riley is aiming for his third career win and first since the 2024 Charles Schwab Challenge — and to get into the postseason.
He has missed 10 cuts, including last week’s 3M Open, and is No. 146 in the FedEx Cup standings.
The Rocket Classic and next week’s Wyndham Championship are the last two tournaments left before the top 70 advance to playoffs.
Riley had an opportunity to win the season-opening Sony Open as the third-round leader before closing with a 71 and falling into a tie for sixth.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs,” he said. “I’m just excited that I’ve started to put the things together and have a chance.”
Brennan (64) had a strong round with seven birdies, but missed a 9-foot putt to bogey 18 and lost a share of the lead.
Rasmus Hojgaard (61), Chris Kirk (66), Rickie Fowler (67) and Cameron Young (68) were three shots back.
Xander Schauffele (67) is in a group another stroke back, going into the final round on Sunday.
Hojgaard became the third player in as many days to match the course record with a 61, giving him the lead before Brennan's birdies put him ahead.
First-round leader Peter Malnati opened with a 61 before plummeting to 4 under with a 71 and 74.
Young matched the mark on the second day, putting the third-ranked player in the world in a three-way tie for the second-round lead with Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn.
Young, playing for the first time since a second-place finish at the British Open, was in the final group on Saturday and had a rough round.
He missed 11-foot putts at Nos. 1 and 3, settling for par. His drive at No. 2 went wide right, landing on a berm with the ball above his feet, leading to another par.
The 24-year-old Brennan, a former Wake Forest star, is shooting for his second win and first since last year's Bank of Utah Championship in his first start as a professional.
Brennan also has a chance to improve his shot at being in the postseason after entering the tournament No. 106 in the FedEx Cup standings. He made eight straight birdies, one shy of the PGA Tour record, on Thursday to open with a 65 and shot a 67 on Friday.
Hojgaard of Denmark is vying for his first win on the PGA Tour after missing the cut in his last three starts — and just making it to the weekend at 3 under in Detroit.
Kirk, who was in a three-way playoff at last year's Rocket Classic before Aldrich Potgieter won it, earned his sixth career victory at the The Sentry early in 2024. Fowler's sixth and last win was the 2023 Rocket Classic.
The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028, effectively creating two tours and Rocket Mortgage decided not to exercise its option to host another tournament next year.
The Detroit-based company isn't interested in continuing to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier in the new era and didn’t want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Cameron Young watches his shot from the ninth tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Xander Schauffele hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Chris Kirk hits from the ninth tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
Michael Brennan putts on the 18th green during the first round of the Rocket Classic golf tournament at the Detroit Golf Club, Thursday, July 30, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
FILE - Davis Riley watches his tee shot on the ninth hole during the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero,File)
