Catholic Group Calls on Massachusetts Bishops to Discipline Gov. Healey Over Abortion Law

A national Catholic advocacy group is demanding that Massachusetts bishops take formal action against Democratic Gov. Maura Healey following her August signing of legislation that removes the state’s 24-week abortion cutoff, positioning Massachusetts as the 10th state allowing the procedure through birth. CatholicVote, led by president and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt, contends that Healey’s actions warrant investigation into whether she has incurred automatic excommunication under canon law.

In correspondence to the state’s bishops, CatholicVote characterizes Healey, a Catholic, as an “accomplice” in abortion under church doctrine and argues her conduct merits formal ecclesiastical discipline. The organization asserts that permitting Democratic politicians to publicly support abortion rights while claiming personal moral opposition to the practice has shielded such figures from consequences for decades, creating theological confusion among the faithful.

Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester issued a stark public rebuke of the Massachusetts law, describing procedures permitted under it in graphic terms and criticizing those who gathered to celebrate its signing. His condemnation sparked broader debate within the Catholic hierarchy about whether public statements suffice or whether bishops should impose sanctions such as denying Holy Communion to pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

The law takes effect November 8. The Massachusetts Catholic bishops’ offices and Gov. Healey’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the organization’s calls for disciplinary action.