With a new legislative session in MA starting last month, we’ve been working hard to analyze the more than 5,000 bills filed in January. While bill numbers and full text are not yet available, we want to give you a preview of some of the priority legislation we will be actively involved with over these next two years:

Submitted bills that we support:

• An Act to Advance the Safety of Women seeking to terminate a pregnancy (aka A Woman’s Safety Act): Filed by our friends at Massachusetts Citizens for Life, this bill would amend the definition of “clinic” in the General Laws, requiring the licensing and inspection of numerous non-hospital abortion facilities in Massachusetts. Shockingly, there are no health and safety regulations for these abortion clinics, putting vulnerable women at further, serious health risk.

• An Act Titled Justina’s Law: Last year’s tragic case of Justina Pelletier demanded a response to prevent such a violation of parental rights from occurring again. This bill stipulates that a parent cannot be charged with medical abuse or neglect if their child is receiving treatment from a licensed health provider.

• An Act Relative to Safety and Privacy in Public Accommodations: This bill would expressly state that the 2011 “Transgender Rights Law” does not apply to private spaces such as bathrooms and locker rooms. In addition, it clarifies that access to all sex-segregated facilities should be based on an individual’s anatomical sex of male or female, regardless of that individual’s claimed “gender identity.”

Submitted bills that we oppose:

• An Act Affirming a Terminally Ill Patient’s Right to Compassionate Aid in Dying (aka Assisted Suicide): If approved, Massachusetts would follow Oregon, Washington and Montana in allowing doctors to prescribe an
  intentional overdose so patients can commit suicide. Massachusetts Family Institute was fully engaged in this fight in 2012, when assisted suicide was defeated at the polls in MA, and we will continue to hold the line against this push towards euthanasia in the legislature.

• Health Curriculum Frameworks (mandating sex-education in all public schools grades K-12): There is no consensus on content or age-appropriateness when it comes to sex education. This bill would force a state-mandated health curriculum on every public school in the Commonwealth, thereby eliminating choice for parents and autonomy for local school boards on what their children would be taught with respect to sexuality, contraception and abortion.

• An Act Relative to Transgender Anti-discrimination and An Act Relative to Gender Identity and Non-Discrimination: These bills would allow any person of any sex access to all public accommodations (bathrooms and locker rooms) at any time. They dismantle the rights of all women and children to privacy and safety in order to grant sweeping rights for a small but aggressive special interest group.

We will regularly update you on direct action you can take to stand for family values in Massachusetts!