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It’s Friday. Before you log off for Labor Day weekend, let’s cut through this morning’s dense fog and get to some breaking news:
Another ballot campaign enters: While voters in Massachusetts were casting their ballots in Tuesday’s primary, some local activists were quietly making moves for the 2028 election. Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office confirmed yesterday to WBUR that a referendum petition was filed Tuesday on the abortion rights law signed by Gov. Maura Healey last month. The filing marks the start of an effort this fall to potentially pause the new law and put a question on the ballot in 2028 that would ask voters to repeal it.
- What does the law do? The law — which was signed by Healey on Aug. 10 after zooming through the State House — removes restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks of gestation, leaving the decision up to “the professional judgment of the physician.” It’s set to take effect on Nov. 8.
- What was the reason for it? Supporters cited stories of “pain and anguish” from residents due to the previous rules for abortions after 24 weeks, which only allowed the procedure in specific circumstances, such life-threatening situations for the patient or fetus. “These situations are incredibly rare, and the decisions should be made between patients, their families, and their doctor — not by politicians and the government,” Healey told WBUR in a statement Thursday.
- Who’s behind the repeal effort? The referendum effort is being led by two local anti-abortion groups: Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action, a 501(c)(4) group affiliated with the Massachusetts Family Institute. “We have not pursued a referendum after every abortion law passed in Massachusetts, but this law crosses a fundamentally different line,” Myrna Maloney Flynn, the president of Mass Citizens for Life, told WBUR. Flynn objected to the law’s removal of viability limits and said it allows hospitals to send patients to Planned Parenthood clinics for “complex, dangerous late-term abortions rather than providing that care within better-equipped hospital facilities.”
- What’s next? Referendums work a little differently than the usual biennial ballot question process in Massachusetts. According to Galvin’s office, supporters have to collect at least 37,289 signatures this fall to get a question on the 2028 ballot asking voters to repeal or uphold the law. And if they get over 49,719 signatures, they can actually suspend the law from taking effect until that 2028 vote. (Sam Miele, the director of Massachusetts Family Action, said in an email their goal is to suspend the law.) Those signatures are due to local clerks by Oct. 23 and to Galvin’s office by Nov. 6.
- Watch this space: Healey can block the possibility of the new law getting suspended if she adds an “emergency preamble” to its language. Healey’s office declined to say if they’re considering that option Thursday, but she’s done so before — with the 2024 gun law that’s subject to a referendum this fall.
On the street: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration and the MBTA just dropped an updated design this morning for the Blue Hill Avenue project. WBUR’s Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez reports the new plan comes after concerns about the $160 million transformation of the corridor from residents and some local elected officials.
- What’s different? Andrea reports the new design keeps the center-running bus lane, but adds 42 more parking spaces and keeps two car lanes through most of the project area. Meanwhile, previous plans for bike lanes on both sides of the street are being scaled back and replaced with a two-way sidewalk-level bike path on one side. Scroll through the renderings here.
Not bluffing: More than 1,300 unionized workers at the Encore Boston Harbor casino are set to go on strike this morning. The Everett resort casino’s housekeepers, cooks, bartenders and slot attendants want the same wage standards as other hotel workers in the Boston area, plus bigger company contributions to their healthcare plan. But negotiations remain an impasse after months of bargaining. (Encore says it remains open and operational during the strike.)
Every vote counts: Longtime state Sen. Will Brownsberger is moving to request a full recount, after the initial results from Tuesday’s primary show him losing to Wu-backed challenger Dan Lander by just three votes. WBUR’s Gin Dumcius reports that Brownsberger’s campaign expects the recount to happen next week. The deadline to formally request it is today at 5 p.m.
P.S. — What technology does the Trump administration plan to buy from a Massachusetts company for immigration enforcement? Take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of this week’s stories.
