Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey just became the 10th governor in America to allow abortion up to the moment of birth — and a major Catholic organization says she should face the harshest possible Church discipline for it.
CatholicVote is now pressing Massachusetts bishops to declare whether Healey, who is Catholic, automatically excommunicated herself under canon law when she signed the law in mid-August.
“TO WEAPONIZE CATHOLIC VIRTUES IN THE DEFENSE OF SOMETHING SO EGREGIOUSLY CONTRARY TO THE FAITH IS A NEW MOMENT IN THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE.”
The law, set to take effect Nov. 8, eliminates the state’s previous 24-week restriction on abortion. Now, physicians can perform the procedure at any point in pregnancy based on their “professional judgment.”
CatholicVote President and CEO Kelsey Reinhardt told Fox News Digital that Healey should be considered an “accomplice” in abortion under Catholic canon law — and that her actions warrant formal excommunication.
“To weaponize Catholic virtues, to weaponize Christian virtues in the defense of something so egregiously contrary to the faith is a new moment in the political landscape and in the way in which bishops should deal with politicians,” Reinhardt said.
Bishop Robert Barron of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, didn’t hold back in condemning what he called a “barbaric provision.”
“Please understand what this means. A fully-formed child, moments before exiting the birth canal, can be eviscerated, chopped into pieces, have its head crushed or skin burned off,” Barron wrote on X.
“What I found particularly gross was the reaction of the entirely female crowd around the female governor of Massachusetts as she signed this barbaric provision into law,” the bishop added, referencing those surrounding Healey during the signing ceremony.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, reposted Barron’s comments with his own reaction: “They were clapping and cackling with delight because what can only be called infanticide can now be practiced with impunity in their state.”
The backlash has reignited a decades-old debate: should Catholic bishops move beyond public condemnation and impose actual consequences on Catholic politicians who champion abortion rights?
“WE’VE SEEN GENERATIONS OF CATHOLIC POLITICIANS NOW CLAIM THIS SAME EXCEPTION. IT GAVE COVER FOR TOO MANY YEARS AND NOW THAT COVER IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE.”
Reinhardt pointed to former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo’s 1984 Notre Dame speech, where he argued Catholic politicians could personally accept the Church’s opposition to abortion without necessarily imposing that belief through civil law.
“We’ve seen generations of Catholic politicians now claim this same exception,” Reinhardt said. “It gave cover for too many years and now that cover is no longer possible.”
There is precedent for bishops taking action. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was barred from receiving Holy Communion in the Archdiocese of San Francisco by Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone in 2022 because of her public support for abortion rights.
“It’s certainly a tool that bishops have in their legislative disciplinary toolbox, which is to say, you know, actually you’ve found yourself in a state of grave sin because you’ve publicly advocated for this so I can no longer give you the Holy Sacrament,” Reinhardt said.
“It’s left entirely to the bishops,” Reinhardt added, noting that when politicians are allowed to publicly take positions “so contrary to the faith,” it “creates confusion for people in the pews.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Healey’s office and Massachusetts Catholic bishops for comment.
I know I’ve been posting a lot recently, but as Fr. Richard John Neuhaus used to say, “it’s a target-rich environment” right now.
The governor of Massachusetts just signed into law a statute that permits abortion up until the moment of birth, as long as mother and doctor give…
— Bishop Robert Barron (@BishopBarron) August 12, 2026
“They were clapping and cackling with delight because what can only be called infanticide can now be practiced with impunity in their state.”
🎤 dropped https://t.co/eECQTKgOy3
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) August 13, 2026
