House Democrats poised to pass bill to make Massachusetts’ late-term abortion laws among nation’s broadest

Massachusetts Democratic leaders said they expect to pass a bill Wednesday that would dramatically loosen the state’s already-liberal abortion laws by making it easier for women to terminate late-term pregnancies.

The vote comes in the final hours of formal legislative sessions for the year and, if passed and signed into law, could make Massachusetts’ abortion law among the country’s broadest.

Currently, the state allows the termination of pregnancies up to 24 weeks’ gestation. Beyond that, doctors are permitted to perform abortions under specific circumstances, including only if it’s necessary to preserve the life of a patient.