Neonatologist Warns Massachusetts’ New Abortion Law Raises Ethical Concerns for Doctors and Families

Massachusetts has become the 10th state to permit abortion procedures through birth following Gov. Maura Healey’s recent signing of the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act. The measure eliminates the state’s previous 24-week gestational limit and takes effect within 90 days, allowing terminations based on a physician’s professional judgment. The expansion has drawn nationwide opposition from medical professionals.

Dr. Robin Pierucci, co-chair of the American College of Pediatricians’ Pro-Life Council, expressed serious reservations about the law’s implications for neonatal care and parental decision-making. Pierucci, a practicing neonatologist who treats newborns with serious health complications, told Fox News Digital that she cannot reconcile the law’s provisions with standard medical ethics and the physician’s obligation to provide care.

Pierucci highlighted the unreliability of prenatal screening tests, which typically offer probability-based results rather than definitive diagnoses. She cautioned that parents may make irreversible decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information about their child’s potential condition. The routine use of such screening without full diagnostic certainty creates a troubling foundation for life-or-death medical decisions, she argued.

The neonatologist pointed to advances in medical technology that have improved survival rates for extremely premature infants born at 22 to 24 weeks’ gestation. She emphasized that the law creates an ethical contradiction for physicians who work to save premature babies within this window while simultaneously being permitted to terminate pregnancies at the same gestational ages based on suspected diagnoses.

Pierucci advocated for perinatal palliative care as an alternative approach, describing it as a compassionate medical model that provides families with emotional and clinical support while prioritizing infant comfort. She rejected the premise that medical care lacks value unless it achieves complete healing, stating that physicians maintain an obligation to provide care regardless of prognosis.

The neonatologist expressed concern that the law fails to address the conscientious objections of medical professionals, potentially exposing practitioners to moral trauma when their personal values conflict with the new legal framework. She underscored that a child’s life value should not fluctuate based on gestational age and noted that earlier terminations do not diminish maternal grief.

Healey’s office did not provide comment when contacted by Fox News Digital regarding the criticism.