On Thursday, November 7th, the Public Interest
Leadership Committee heard from two distinguished speakers on the topic of
reproductive justice. First, Jamie Sabino, attorney at the Massachusetts Law
Reform Institute and the co-chair of the Steering Committee of the Judicial
Consent for Minors Lawyer Referral Panel spoke about women’s reproductive
health in Massachusetts with a focus on the current landscape nationwide and in
Massachusetts.
She shared that currently in Massachusetts, under the
judicial bypass process, minors must petition the court to obtain an abortion if
a parent or guardian is not present to grant permission. A concern with the requirement of the
judicial bypass process is that physicians are mandated reporters, but judges
are not. Such a requirement creates an
additional hurdle for minors, including a fear of loss of confidentiality. The judicial bypass law disproportionately
impacts young people of color and young people with low incomes.
Attorney Sabino also discussed the history of reproductive
health laws and the changing landscape that has resulted from changes in the makeup
of the United States Supreme Court.
Since 1981, Jamie has chaired or co-chaired the Judicial
Consent For Minor Lawyer Referral Panel, a group of attorneys who represent
minors seeking judicial authorization for abortion. Working with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom
Project and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Jamie has also trained
lawyers in a number of states facing implementation of a parental
involvement/judicial bypass statute, testified in many state legislatures on
the burdens brought by such laws and served as an expert witness on the
implementation of such laws in court challenges.
Mehreen Butt, Associate Director of Policy and Government
Affairs at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, discussed her current
focus on lobbying for the passage of The Roe Act, S. 1209, H. 3320. Amongst several other components, the bill
would eliminate the judicial bypass process, expand access to abortion after 24
weeks of pregnancy in cases of fatal fetal anomalies, and abolish medically
unnecessary abortion restrictions. In
June 2019, the bill went to the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in the
Massachusetts Legislature.
Ms. Butt has over 15 years of experience working in the
social justice and public policy fields and on local, state, and federal
campaigns. She has worked at Rosie’s
Place, Tufts Health Plan and Health Care for All. In each of these positions, Ms. Butt was
responsible for overseeing the organization’s policy and legislative agenda.
For more information regarding Planned Parenthood League of
Massachusetts priorities visit https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/planned-parenthood-advocacy-fund-massachusetts-inc/issues
Meeting Recap provided
by PILP Members Andrea Carrillo (Greater Boston Legal Services) and Sharona
Sternberg (Sunstein Kann)