BY JESSIE BRUNELLE, MMS GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ADVISOR
The MMS was proud to play a central role in driving landmark updates to the Commonwealth’s Shield Law, signed by Governor Maura Healey on August 7, 2025. Known
as the “Shield Law 2.0,” these reforms deliver some of the nation’s strongest protections for patients and providers against escalating out-of-state legal threats to reproductive and gender-affirming health care.
At a time when states nationwide are enacting bans and pursuing criminal prosecutions of evidence-based medicine, the Shield Law 2.0 ensures that decisions about health care remain where they belong: in the trusted space between patients and their doctors.
Building on a Strong Foundation
Massachusetts first enacted its Shield Law in 2022, establishing critical safeguards against interference from states that criminalize reproductive or gender-affirming care. The MMS was instrumental in advocating for the passage of that first law, crafting
the licensure protections that allowed physicians to continue practicing without fear of professional discipline for delivering legally protected care that meets appropriate standards of care.
Those early provisions set a national model, and the 2025 updates build on that foundation, strengthening and expanding protections so that the Commonwealth remains a leader in defending access to high-quality health care.
The Shield Law 2.0 includes the following key provisions:
- Prohibit state or local authorities from cooperating with federal or out-of-state investigations into health care services protected under Massachusetts law.
- Guarantee emergency abortion access, ensuring lifesaving treatment is never delayed or denied in the wake of harmful federal rollbacks that jeopardize patient safety.
- Protect sensitive patient and provider information from disclosure and misuse.
- Strengthen patient medical data privacy in the electronic medical record (EMR), including a new technical advisory group that includes MMS representation.
MMS at the Table
From the earliest stages of the legislative process, the MMS worked closely with lawmakers to craft a balanced and effective bill. Our advocacy helped ensure that the law’s protections are strong and enforceable without imposing unworkable EMR requirements
that would burden physicians and disrupt or hinder patient care.
The MMS also played a decisive role in securing stronger privacy safeguards, advancing emergency abortion access, and defeating amendments that could have undermined the bill’s intent. This work is driven by our organizational policies and reflects the
Society’s long-standing commitment to both protecting physicians in their practice and ensuring patients can access the care they need.
The significance of this achievement was underscored at the law’s signing ceremony, where the MMS was honored to stand alongside Governor Healey as an invited stakeholder organization.
Dr. Nicole Smith, maternal-fetal medicine specialist and former Chair of the MMS Committee on Maternal and Perinatal Welfare, represented the Society at the ceremony and delivered remarks on behalf of our membership that embodied the principles at the
heart of medical practice: clinical integrity, patient autonomy, and the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship.
Following the ceremony, Dr. Smith emphasized the importance of this milestone, saying, “The Shield Law 2.0 sends a powerful message that Massachusetts will not allow out-of-state interference to come between patients and the care they need. The MMS played a critical role in advancing these protections, which reflect both the urgency of the moment and the day-to-day realities of modern medical practice. Our collective commitment was made clear: to ensure every patient can access evidence-based, compassionate health care without fear.”
Dr. Nicole Smith - Shield Law 2.0 Bill Signing
Photo by Josh Qualls, Office of Governor Healey
What Comes Next
While passage of the law represents a major victory, careful implementation will be essential to ensure its protections are fully realized in practice. The MMS will continue its leadership during this process, including through our role on the new technical
advisory group that will address EMR security and data privacy protections. The Society remains committed to supporting physicians, protecting patients, and ensuring that Massachusetts remains a beacon for health care access.
A Broader Commitment to Reproductive Health
The Shield Law 2.0 is part of a larger, ongoing effort by state leaders to defend reproductive health care access. Just this year alone, Governor Healey awarded $1.8 million in financial assistance to patients seeking abortion care, made over-the-counter birth control and prenatal vitamins free for half a million patients, and, in partnership with the state legislature, delivered $2 million to Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts after a federal policy change threatened Medicaid funding for clinic-based services. Governor Healey also previously stockpiled mifepristone when this essential abortion
medication came under threat.
These actions demonstrate Massachusetts’ enduring commitment to protecting patient health, supporting physicians, and ensuring that clinical decisions remain in the exam room.
Resources for Physicians and Patients
For physicians and patients seeking more information about their rights under the Commonwealth’s Shield Law, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has developed resources through its Reproductive Justice Unit, available here.
