In Massachusetts, the Compassionate Care Coalition submitted approximately 100,000 signatures to the state election division in support of a veto referendum that would repeal Massachusetts’ latest legislation concerning abortion.

The veto referendum aims to repeal Massachusetts House Bill 5595 (H. 5595). H. 5595 permits abortions in the state of Massachusetts after 24 weeks' gestation "based upon the professional judgment of the physician."

Before H. 5595 took effect, Massachusetts state law permitted abortions before 24 weeks' gestation and after 24 weeks' gestation when necessary to preserve the life of the mother, to protect the mother’s physical or mental health, due to a lethal fetal anomaly, or due to a fetal diagnosis that indicates the fetus/baby is unable to sustain life outside the uterus without extraordinary medical interventions. Additionally, medical institutions that performed abortions after 24 weeks' gestation were required to submit an annual report to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health describing their procedures for providing such abortions consistent with state law. H. 5595 discontinued that requirement.

The Massachusetts State Senate approved H. 5595 on July 31, 2026, in a voice vote. The state House approved H. 5595 on July 31 in a vote of 121-35, with two representatives not voting. One hundred twenty (120) Democrats and one independent voted ‘yes,’ and 10 Democrats and 25 Republicans voted ‘no.’ Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed H. 5595 into law on Aug. 10, 2026.

When signing H. 5595, Gov. Healey said, “I've heard heartbreaking stories from women and families who were preparing to welcome a healthy baby into their family, only to receive devastating news later in their pregnancy. Instead of being able to rely on the doctors they knew and trusted at home, they were forced to travel hundreds of miles and pay out of their pockets while navigating unimaginable grief. That should never happen in Massachusetts. This law continues our efforts to have the strongest abortion protections in the country because in Massachusetts, we believe health care decisions should be made between women and their doctors.”

Massachusetts Family Action filed the petition for a veto referendum to repeal H. 5595 with the secretary of state’s office and began gathering signatures on Sept. 1, 2026. Signature sheets were due with local town clerks on Oct. 23, and the Compassionate Care Coalition announced that it had submitted 97,276 signatures to the Massachusetts Election Division on Oct. 29.

In Massachusetts, supporters of a referendum can submit a number of signatures, equal to 1.5% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election to place a veto referendum on the ballot. For 2026, that number is 37,287 valid signatures.

However, if supporters submit a larger number of signatures, equal to 2% of the votes cast in the last gubernatorial election, the targeted legislation will be suspended until voters decide the veto referendum at the election. For 2026, that is 49,716 valid signatures. As of Oct. 29, the election division has not yet announced how many signatures have been certified as valid.

Repeal 188 is leading the campaign to place the veto referendum on the ballot. The campaign was organized by the Compassionate Care Coalition, composed of Massachusetts Family Action, Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Massachusetts Family Institute, Democrats for Life of America, and the Cape Cod Pro-Life Alliance.

A statement on the Repeal 188 website says, “While previous state law allowed late-term abortions to be performed in a hospital setting by a qualified surgeon for maternal health and fetal abnormalities, Chapter 188 removes these boundaries entirely, sacrificing maternal safety and putting viable infants at risk.”

An Oct. 29 statement from the Massachusetts Catholic Bishops said, “Today, thousands of voices have been raised in the defense of the sacred dignity of human life. As pastors, we raised our voices in opposition to the bill and in favor of the beauty of life. Every child is a gift, and every person deserves a chance to live.”

While the veto referendum may be on the 2028 ballot, voters in four states will decide ballot measures related to abortion policy sooner, on Nov. 3, 2026. Three measures would provide for a state right to an abortion. Two are constitutional amendments in Nevada and Virginia. One, in Idaho, is a citizen-initiated statute. Voters in one state—Missouri—will decide a ballot measure to repeal the constitutional right to abortion that voters approved in 2024, prohibit abortion, and prohibit surgical procedures for transgender minors.

Massachusetts voters will decide nine ballot measures on Nov. 3, 2026, none of which concern abortion policy. One of the nine measures, Question 9, is a veto referendum.

A ‘yes’ vote on Question 9 is a vote to uphold House Bill 4885 (H. 4885), while a ‘no’ vote is a vote to repeal it. H. 4885, also known as Acts of 2024 Chapter 135, An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws, was passed during the 2024 legislative session and took effect on October 2, 2024.

H. 4885 enacted multiple changes to firearm policies, including:

• requiring the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services (DCJIS) to develop and maintain a real-time electronic system for firearm registration, requiring all firearms to be registered with the registrant’s personal and licensing information;
• changing the law from a ban on people possessing, selling, or otherwise transferring assault weapons to a ban on assault-style firearms, except those registered by August 1, 2024;
• requiring a person to receive a basic firearms safety certificate to apply for a Firearm Identification Card (FID) or License to Carry (LTC);
• mandating serial numbers for firearms, except antiques, and enacting penalties for possessing, creating, or transferring untraceable firearms;
• allowing school administrators and licensed healthcare providers to request that a court issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order, which requires individuals to surrender firearms, licenses, and permits; and
• permitting courts to order firearm surrender when issuing Harassment Prevention Orders, among other changes.