Press Release  Governor Healey Signs Updated Shield Law Strengthening Protections for Health Care Providers and Patients

Boston — Today, Governor Maura Healey signed the updated Shield Law to strengthen protections for patients and providers. The new law prevents the disclosure of sensitive data, such as a physician’s name, and formally establishes that abortions are to be provided in emergencies due to medical necessity. Additionally, the law prohibits Massachusetts state or local authorities from cooperating with any federal or out-of-state investigation into health care services that are legally protected in Massachusetts, such as abortion care. 

“Massachusetts will always be a state where patients can access high-quality health care and providers are able to do their jobs without government interference,” said Governor Healey. “From the moment Roe was overturned, we stepped up to pass strong protections for patients and providers, and with President Trump and his allies continuing their assaults on health care, we’re taking those protections to the next level. No one is going to prevent the people of Massachusetts from getting the health care they need.” 

“Massachusetts is home to the best health care providers in the country, and we aren't going to let them be intimidated or punished for providing lifesaving care,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Together with the Legislature, we are reminding the entire country yet again that Massachusetts is a place where everyone can safely access the health care they need and deserve.” 

"Today, we again affirm our residents’ right to make their own health care decisions—and that in Massachusetts, we will not discriminate against anyone based on the care they seek or provide," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "We will not cede ground to the Trump Administration as it attacks the rights and wellbeing of people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care. By reinforcing our Shield Law, we are expanding protections further than ever before. I’m grateful to Governor Healey for taking swift action to sign this critical legislation into law." 

"As the Trump Administration and Republicans across the country continue to target individuals for exercising their right to make their own health care decisions in consultation with their doctor, this legislation is representative of the Legislature’s commitment to preserving that fundamental right,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “This Shield Act builds on the Commonwealth’s proud history of preserving and expanding access to reproductive and gender-affirming care by establishing new safeguards around patient data, and by protecting health care professionals who provide that vital care. I would like to thank Governor Healey and my colleagues in the Legislature for their commitment to protecting the rights of our residents.” 

The law also directs the Department of Public Health to create a technical advisory group that will provide support to businesses on implementing privacy protections for storing or managing electronic medical records related to reproductive and gender-affirming health care. 

“We have long maintained that access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care is essential - without this, people’s physical and mental wellbeing can be severely impacted,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kiame Mahaniah. “Those who seek this health care and those who provide it have a right to be safe from external threats, whether that is protecting their personal information from misuse, or protecting them from politically motivated legal attacks. I’m grateful to the legislature and the Governor for continuing to protect patients and providers in our state.” 

“Once again we are standing up to defend the rights of Massachusetts residents,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Chair of the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy, the committee tasked with leading the Senate’s Response 2025 effort. “Facing a wave of new threats on our autonomy from the federal government and other states, this legislation will enhance the protections for patients and providers we first put in place in 2022. In the Commonwealth, legally protected health care is just that, and we will always step up to uphold this and fight for our residents.” 

"In Massachusetts, our residents enjoy equal protection under our laws and full control over their own healthcare choices," said Representative Michael S. Day (D-Stoneham), House Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. "We stand united in affirming that we will not allow radical prosecutors or politicians in other states to exploit legally protected healthcare decisions made here in the Commonwealth for their own political gain.” 

“The SHIELD Act 2.0 is a critical defense against the attacks that the federal government continues to make against women and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Representative Marjorie Decker, House Chair, Joint Committee on Public Health. “It is clear that the cruelty is the point. I am grateful to House Leadership and all of my colleagues for quickly enacting this bill and to Governor Healey for promptly signing it into law.”   

“At a time when access to essential health care—especially reproductive and gender-affirming care—is being rolled back in states across the country, Massachusetts is taking a firm and principled stand,” said Senator Lydia Edwards, State Senator for the Third Suffolk District. “This legislation sends a clear message: we will protect the rights, safety, and privacy of our residents. It ensures that patients and providers are shielded from political interference, legal intimidation, and unlawful out-of-state overreach. In Massachusetts, we believe health care decisions should be made in consultation with medical professionals—not dictated by partisan agendas. Here, your choices remain between you and your doctor, and we will fight to keep it that way.” 

This is the latest in a number of steps taken by Governor Healey to defend reproductive freedom. This year alone, Governor Healey awarded $1.8 million in financial assistance to individuals seeking abortion care, made over-the-counter birth control and prenatal vitamins free for half a million patients, and with Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, delivered $2 million to Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts following President Trump’s prevention of Medicaid funds from being used to cover services provided at clinics. Governor Healey also previously stockpiled mifepristone when this lifesaving abortion medication was under threat. 

Statements of Support 

Rebecca Hart Holder, President, Reproductive Equity Now: 

“As our country faces relentless attacks from the Trump administration and anti-abortion extremists seeking to dismantle access to reproductive health care, Massachusetts has taken a bold and necessary stand to reaffirm and expand our commitment to protecting patients and providers. By signing this expansion into law, Governor Healey has further bolstered our best-in-the-nation shield protections in the Commonwealth. We are grateful for the leadership of Governor Healey and all of our legislative champions in the House and Senate, as their tireless work to advance Massachusetts's shield law protections further strengthens its commitment to safeguarding abortion care.” 

 
Dominique Lee, President, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts:  

“While the Trump Administration tries to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers and roll back access to life-saving reproductive health care, this law affirms that reproductive freedom is non-negotiable in Massachusetts. This updated shield law strengthens patient confidentiality, protects abortion providers, and supports the delivery of evidence-based reproductive health and gender-affirming care. We are proud of our state continuing to strengthen these protections for patients and providers because no one should be afraid to seek or provide care that is safe, legal, and available in Massachusetts." 

Carol Rose, Executive Director, The ACLU of Massachusetts: 

“Once again, Massachusetts is making it clear that we will always protect the fundamental right to control our own bodies. In the immediate aftermath of the Dobbs decision, Massachusetts passed one of the strongest shield laws in the nation to protect patients and providers in our state. And in the face of escalating federal attacks, we are proud that our state leaders urgently moved to strengthen that law. We thank Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, and the Massachusetts Legislature for their tireless defense of reproductive and gender-affirming health care.” 
 
Jordina Shanks, CEO, Fenway Health: 
“This law is a landmark victory for health care, human dignity, and the providers and patients who deserve to live free from fear. At Fenway Health, we see every day how essential it is that people can access gender-affirming care without threats, delays, or discrimination. This law ensures that clinicians can focus on healing, that families can choose the care that’s right for them while remaining protected, and that Massachusetts stands as a national beacon of equity and compassion. We are deeply grateful to Governor Healey, Senator Cindy Friedman, and all the champions who made this possible.” 

Polly Crozier, Director of Family Advocacy, GLAD Law: 

"Our ability to make health care decisions for ourselves and our families is being attacked by politicians in the federal government and states around the country who are preventing people from receiving essential reproductive or transgender medical care and penalizing providers for practicing medicine according to proven, professional standards of care. By signing the Massachusetts Shield Act, Governor Healey today ensured that in Massachusetts health care will continue to be based on science and people’s prescribed need for care. We’re grateful for her commitment to maintaining access to reproductive health care and transgender health care for the people of the Commonwealth."

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