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Right-wing media liken Massachusetts law expanding abortion access to Satanism, murder, and “human sacrifice”

Women attending the signing of the law, which will allow more patients to receive care in the Bay State, were called “witches” and “shrieking harpies”

Written by Ben Van Bloem

Research contributions from Monica Rodriguez

Published

Right-wing media figures are melting down over a new Massachusetts law that will widen access to abortion in the state, claiming the law paves the way for “human sacrifice” and comparing the signing ceremony to “a coven of witches celebrating depravity."

In passing the law, Massachusetts joins Washington, D.C., and several other states that have moved to prioritize the judgment of medical professionals about pregnancy and abortion care rather than setting limits based on the length of the pregnancy. Right-wing figures, however, claim without evidence that this will legalize “post-birth abortion,” and that the law was enacted to make it easier to “sell the body parts” of aborted fetuses. 
 

  • The law prioritizes the judgment of medical professionals, allowing more patients to receive care in-state

    • Massachusetts removed gestation-based restrictions on abortions in order to “[give] doctors the final word” on abortions after 24 weeks. The law changed language restricting abortions on a specific timeline to read “an abortion may be performed by a physician based upon the professional judgment of the physician.” While most abortions are performed in the first trimester, abortions in the later stages “often involve situations in which doctors discovered a fetal anomaly late in pregnancy.” One supporter of the law was Kate Dineen, an abortion rights activist who could not receive care in Massachusetts and was forced to travel to Maryland for an abortion after her “son died in utero at 33 weeks.” [The 19th, 8/10/26; NBC Boston, 8/10/26; AP News, 7/31/26; Mass.gov, 8/10/26]
    • Several major medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, championed the law, which Gov. Maura Healey’s office says will allow patients facing serious complications to “get medically appropriate care close to home.” A press release from the Massachusetts government noted that under the previous law “some Massachusetts patients were forced to leave the state to receive care” and that doctors had been limited to “a narrow list of statutory exceptions” when determining late-term pregnancy care options. The new framework allows doctors to “exercise their professional medical judgment in accordance with accepted standards of care.” This allows “greater clarity” for doctors who are caring for “patients with complex medical needs.” Lynn M. Yee, who is the vice chair of the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, argued that past laws “interfered” with the ability of providers to give “evidence-based care” to their patients. [The 19th, 8/10/26, Mass.gov, 8/10/26]
    • A study looking at deaths during or within one year of pregnancy after Roe v. Wade was overturned “found a possible 9.2% increase in pregnancy-associated deaths in states with abortion bans.” One author of the study said that the findings “suggest many preventable deaths have occurred in states that banned abortion” and highlights that efforts to address the “maternal mortality crisis could be undermined by policies that restrict reproductive health care, including abortion.” [Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 4/27/26]

  • Figures in right-wing media have linked the new law to Satan, “human sacrifice,” or otherwise evil influences

    • The host of Mucho Que Decir Jorge Diaz Diaz argued that the Massachusetts abortion law is “intrinsically something diabolical” and suggested that Healey made a “pact with the devil.” He also suggested the law allowed for “human sacrifice” and that it was “satanic.” [La Nueva Poderosa, Mucho Que Decir, 8/14/26]
    • Former Infowars host David Knight suggested that Democrats who support the bill would be yelling, “Hail Satan.” Knight said, “I imagine they've got some Democrats out there in the courtyard yelling, Hail Satan, like they did in Texas when there was the pushback by the protest by the abortionists there.” [Rumble, The David Knight Show, 8/12/26]
    • Conservative podcaster Steven Crowder called the law “the evil of human sacrifice.” Crowder said, “I see the practice openly of evil, of human sacrifice, which is what we're seeing as far as abortion law in Massachusetts. … It's an entire room full of women celebrating the evil of human sacrifice and they know it.” [Rumble, Louder with Crowder, 8/12/26]

  • Right-wing media attacked the women and providers who championed the legislation

    • On Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight, guest Abby Johnson said the signing ceremony looked “like a coven of witches celebrating depravity.” She went on to say that they were “celebrating the right to kill babies.” [Newsmax, Rob Schmitt Tonight, 8/12/26]
    • Radio and podcast host Megyn Kelly called the video of the bill signing “disturbing” because “all these women are so grateful for the chance to kill their own unborn child.” [YouTube, The Megyn Kelly Show, 8/12/26]
    • Steven Crowder said that the group of women at the signing was “a gaggle of evil women.” [Rumble, Louder with Crowder, 8/12/26]
    • Host of the War Room podcast, Harrison Smith, called the women at the signing “shrieking harpies” who want to “murder babies.” Smith said, “Here's the governor signing the law, the lesbian governor signing it into law, surrounded by a bunch of shrieking harpies clapping and giggling at the fact that they can now literally murder babies.” [Rumble, War Room, 8/12/26]
    • Daily Wire host Michael Knowles speculated that Healey’s Catholic faith was “fake” and called the women at the signing “witches.” Knowles said, “Big signing, this ghastly woman signing the bill, surrounded by all sorts of witches.” He went on to say that Healey’s “Catholicism is fake” and she “is in a state of grave mortal sin” before calling her an “infanticidal lesbian.” [YouTube, The Michael Knowles Show, 8/11/26]
    • Newsmax host Rob Finnerty attacked the women at the signing as “truly sick” for “clapping for murder, clapping for killing babies.” [Newsmax, Finnerty, 8/11/26]

  • Other figures attacked the law by comparing abortion to infanticide and downplaying potential pregnancy risks

    • Harrison Smith also claimed that the bill is not designed to care for “women's health” but instead is for people to “sell the body parts” of aborted fetuses. Smith said, “So, there are a couple things that are motivating this. None of them have to do with women's health. None of them have to do with freedom of association or freedom of choice or women's empowerment. They're as sickeningly evil as you can possibly imagine. The only one you could ever possibly justify in any way, however of a stretch it is, and like I'm saying this to make a point, is you can sell the body parts. You can sell the body parts. So a liver or an arm or a leg or an eyeball from a baby that's nine months is going to be a lot more valuable than a fetus that's six months. So, if you let them gestate until they're basically human, then you've sort of found a workaround of the fact that it's illegal to sell human body parts from human beings.” [Rumble, War Room, 8/12/26]
    • Megyn Kelly claimed that for “late term abortion … there are very few things that actually pose a threat to the life of the mother.” Kelly said, “Late term abortion in this country is actually not even controversial. Virtually everyone is against it. I mean it’s just only these loons would favor such a thing. And honestly, at that point in your pregnancy, there are very few things that actually pose a threat to the life of the mother. I mean, I think Lila Rose would tell you at that point, whatever happens, you would just give birth to the baby, they would do what they could to keep the baby alive. But the answer that far along in the pregnancy is not to kill the baby.” [YouTube, The Megyn Kelly Show, 8/12/26]
    • While discussing the bill, Fox host Will Cain called abortion “infanticide” and asked what the difference was between a late term abortion and “killing a baby four weeks outside the womb?” His guest, executive director of Catholic Pro-Life Community Cynthia Schmidt, responded that “there is no difference.” [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 8/11/26; Catholic Pro-Life Community, accessed 8/13/26]
    • Conservative media personality and Univista TV host Sanchez Grass claimed Massachusetts is “ready to kill as many babies as necessary.” He said in full that Healey “wants to ensure that women can continue to have abortions freely, no matter how far along they are in their pregnancies. In other words, come to Massachusetts, here, by law, we’re ready to kill as many babies as necessary.” [Univista TV, Sanchez Grass En America, 8/13/26]
    • Voz News panelist Alfonso Aguilar claimed abortion is “murder.” He also suggested such legislation “does justify considering whether some effort should be made at the federal level to at least ban abortion after 15 or 20 weeks.” [VOZ Media, Voz News, 8/11/26]
    • Scott Jennings said that Democrats had “pushed abortion extremism to its logical and horrifying conclusion.” He added that this “opens the door to ending the life of a healthy, viable baby right up until the moment of birth.” [YouTube, The Scott Jennings Show, 8/11/26]