he Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a budget Thursday that includes a controversial amendment expanding access to late-term abortion and removing protections for babies who survive an abortion.

The House passed the budget 143-14, although the abortion rights amendment passed by a closer margin of 108-49.

Democrats control both the House and the Senate, although the state’s governor, Charlie Barker, is a Republican who opposes late-term abortion. Massachusetts law gives him the power to “line-item veto” the abortion amendment while signing the rest of the bill.

The amendment, sponsored by Democrat state Rep. Claire Cronin, removes language from current law that requires doctors to “take all reasonable steps, both during and subsequent to the abortion” to “preserve the life and health of the aborted child.” Cronin’s amendment includes weaker language that says a late-term abortion must be performed in a room that has “life-supporting equipment … to enable the physician performing the abortion to take appropriate steps, in keeping with good medical practice and consistent with the procedure being used, to preserve the life and health of a live birth and the patient.”

“The new language states only that there must be ‘life-supporting equipment’ present, and eliminates the requirement for the abortionist to actually USE it,” Massachusetts Citizens for Life said in a statement.

Cronin’s amendment also expands access to abortion after 24 weeks and removes parental consent for minors ages 16 and 17 who want an abortion. Current law includes a judicial bypass.

The bill now advances to the Massachusetts Senate.

Baker indicated he was unhappy with an abortion amendment being placed in a budget bill.

“I do share some of the unhappiness that was raised by a number of members of the Republican Party — that putting policy in the budget was something that both leaders in the House and Senate said they would not do,” Baker said, according to the Boston Globe. “And it’s pretty hard to argue that this isn’t a major policy initiative that is now in the budget.” Christian Headline News

The following is from Pro Life Across America

  • 18 days from conception, heart begins to beat, with the baby’s own blood.
  • 28 days from conception a baby has eyes, ears, and even a tongue!
  • 28 days from conception: Muscles are developing along the future spine. Arms and legs are budding.
  • 30 days: Child has grown 10,000 times to 6-7mm (1/4”) long. Brain has human proportions. Blood flows in veins.
  • 42 days: Skeleton is formed. Brain coordinates movement of muscles and organs. Reflex responses have begun.
  • 42 days: Brain waves can be detected, the jaw forms, including teeth and taste buds. The unborn baby begins to swallow amniotic fluid. Fingers and toes are developing.
  • 45 days from conception: The unborn baby is making body movements, a full 12 weeks before the mother may notice such stirrings. By seven weeks the chest and abdomen are fully formed. Swimming with a natural swimmer’s stroke in the amniotic fluid, the baby now looks like a miniature human infant.
  • 44-45 days: Buds of milk teeth appear, and the unborn baby’s facial muscles develop. Eyelids begin to form, protecting the developing eyes. Elbows take shape. Internal organs are present, but immature. 99% of muscles are present, each with its own nerve supply.
  • 52 Days: Spontaneous movement begins. The unborn baby then develops a whole collection of moves over the next 4 weeks including hiccuping, frowning, squinting, furrowing the brow, pursing the lips, moving individual arms and legs, head turning, touching his/her face, breathing (without air), stretching, opening the mouth, yawning and sucking.                                                                                                                                                                                                                I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Psalms 139:14-16