BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts Senate has joined the House in approving $8 million to offset the potential loss of federal funding to women’s reproductive health organizations under a new Trump administration rule.
The Senate enacted the bill Thursday on a 33-5 vote without any debate. The action came one day after a 140-14 vote in the House, where 20 Republicans joined the vast majority of Democrats in backing the measure.
The bill is now on the desk of Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, who has voiced his support for providing state money to close any gap in funding in the family planning program known as Title X.
The new federal rule - derided by critics as a “gag rule” - would prohibit federally funded family planning clinics from making abortion referrals or sharing office space with abortion providers.
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