Massachusetts ‘Woman’s Safety Act’ (H 1985)

H 1985 would amend the definition of “clinic” under current law in order to have any facility that performs 10 or more abortions a year be required to obtain a license and undergo periodic safety inspections.

The bill would be redefine “clinic” to mean:

Any activity, however organized, whether conducted for profit or not for profit, which is advertised, announced, established, or maintained for the purpose of providing ambulatory medical, surgical, dental, physical rehabilitation, or mental health services.

This would include any entity which performs more than 10 abortions per year.  This would also include any entity which is advertised, announced, established, or maintained under a name which includes the word “clinic,” “dispensary,” or “institute,” and which suggests that ambulatory medical, surgical, dental, physical rehabilitation, or mental health services are rendered.

If an entity is not advertised, announced, established, or maintained under the names “clinic,” “dispensary,” or “institute,” ”clinic” would not include a medical office building, or one or more practitioners engaged in a solo or group practice, so long as they did not perform more than ten (10) abortions per year, and so long as their practice is wholly owned and controlled by one or more of the practitioners so associated, or, in the case of a not for profit organization, its only members are one or more of the practitioners so associated or a clinic established solely to provide service to employees or students of such corporation or institution.

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Related Legislation

Drafted by Massachusetts Citizens for Life Committee, Inc., an affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.

Identical to H 1211, which failed to pass during the 2017-2018 legislative session.

Similar to H 2039 (2015), which failed to pass.

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Latest Action

1/22/19 – Introduced.

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People

Organizations

• Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Inc. — Drafted Model Law