In the wake of growing attacks across the country on access to both abortion and lifesaving healthcare for transgender people, the Massachusetts Senate today passed an important measure that will provide critical protections for providers and patients.

The Senate measure protects providers and patients of abortion care and established, evidence-based health care for transgender people from malicious out-of-state legal action. The House of Representatives passed its own version of the bill late last month. Both chambers have taken decisive action following the shocking actions of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade.

With the Supreme Court opening the door for states to ban abortion, and with at least four states to date passing bills criminalizing parents and doctors for providing established, best-practice medical care for transgender youth, this Senate bill makes clear that such care is a protected right in Massachusetts and provides safeguards for providers as well as patients who seek care in the state.

GLAD has partnered with Reproductive Equity Now, the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Medical Society, the Office of the Attorney General, and legislative leaders in the work to find paths to protect providers and strengthen access to gender-affirming care and abortion care in Massachusetts.

“We are grateful to leaders in both the Senate and the House who are taking essential action to protect basic healthcare access for transgender people, women, and everyone who needs access to abortion,” said Polly Crozier, GLAD Senior Staff Attorney. “Massachusetts is a leader in providing established, life-saving medical care for transgender young people. Parents from across the region and the country bring their children here for individualized, interdisciplinary care. While state legislatures are passing unprincipled laws restricting the ability of parents to care for their children and putting transgender young people in harm’s way, we thank our Massachusetts legislators for recognizing the need to protect access to medical care for transgender people and hope that these measures will quickly be finalized and signed into law by Governor Baker.”