Bishops Rebuke Governor Who Cited Faith To Expand Abortion

Rebuked? What's the matter with the Bishops of Massachusetts? She should be excommunicated for her offence of supporting abortion and having the gall to invoke her Catholicism in support of her position.

From Aleteia

By Theresa Civantos Barber

When the governor of Massachusetts invoked her Catholic faith as a reason to expand abortion law, her state's bishops responded.

Maura Healey, governor of Massachusetts, has spoken publicly about her Catholic faith on several occasions. But when she invoked her faith as a reason for her controversial decision to enact immediately one of the most sweeping abortion laws in the U.S. — in the face of public opposition — the bishops of Massachusetts could not let that go without a response.

Aleteia previously reported that, on August 10, 2026, Governor Healey signed into law the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act, removing all restrictions on abortion access other than “the professional judgment of the physician.” Previously, abortion in the state was limited to specific exceptions after 24 weeks. 

The new abortion law is considered extreme even by pro-choice standards, and Massachusetts’ citizens fought it. More than 113,000 Massachusetts voters signed a petition that would suspend the abortion law until it could be put to a statewide vote in November 2028 — more than double the amount of signatures needed to suspend the bill. 

Yet on Friday, November 6, Healey filed an emergency preamble to the abortion bill. While the law was already set to take effect on November 8, her preamble will block any suspension attempt over the next two years.

In a Substack post published that same day, Healey cited her Catholic faith to justify that decision, writing:

I am Catholic, and my faith is an important part of who I am. It has shaped my understanding of service, responsibility and our obligation to care for others. My faith teaches me to meet people with compassion, respect their dignity, and approach suffering with humility.

I am also Governor for people of every faith and belief. My responsibility is to ensure that every family can make deeply personal medical decisions according to their own circumstances, values and the guidance of their doctors.

The following day, Massachusetts’ four bishops published a response to Healey’s statement. Archbishop Henning of Boston, Bishop McManus of Worcester, Bishop da Cunha of Fall River, and Bishop Byrne of Springfield signed their names to a message that quoted Pope Leo XIV, who on his trip to Uruguay told its president, public officials and diplomats, “the unborn already belong to the human family.”

Their response read in part:

[Pope Leo's] words equally apply to Massachusetts. Having read the Governor’s editorial defending her decision to override the results of the Repeal188 efforts, we respectfully and passionately disagree that abortion, the taking of human life, may be considered health care. We also disagree that there is an emergency requiring the further expansion of the existing and already radically permissive law.

We call upon the legislators who crafted and passed this bill, and all men and women of good will, to reconsider the troubling state of our culture and its utilitarian and merciless approach to the elderly, the sick, the vulnerable, and the unborn. As Pope Leo put it: “The right to life is the indispensable foundation of every other human right.”

We are grateful to the coalition partners and volunteers who worked against time and many other obstacles in the Repeal188 effort, and we are grateful to the many voters who participated and raised their voices in the defense of the dignity of every person, no matter how small.

We continue to ask the Catholic communities in this state to promote life and to assist and accompany expectant mothers and fathers in distress or in crisis. We long to see a culture where both mother and child receive the best medical care and the loving support of the family and the community. We long to see the Lord’s own command “Choose life!” embraced and lived (cf. Deut. 30:19-20).

Our work continues as we heed the call of the Gospel to defend life at all stages. We pray for our Governor and legislators that the Lord may inspire wise and compassionate leadership. We call upon all to support families, especially those in crisis, and to build a culture that supports and loves every member of the human family.

Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, also issued the following statement in response to the governor’s decision:

Governor Healey's preamble reflects an utter disregard for the men and women she was elected to represent. In a matter of a few weeks, more than 113,000 of her constituents went out of their way to oppose a highly controversial, deeply consequential, law that blindsided legislators and voters alike. Healey ignored their questions and concerns ...

Despite Healey’s actions, the new abortion law is on track to go before the state’s voters in November 2028.