Senators called the bill the "NASTY Women Act," which stands for Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young Women. The bill would repeal a number of laws, some dating back to the 1600s, 1700s and 1800s, most of which are unenforceable today due to conflicting state and federal laws and court cases. These include laws punishing adultery and fornication and prohibiting doctors from prescribing contraceptives to unmarried women.
As of this legislative session, there will be no more chairmen of Massachusetts House and Senate committees: instead, people who hold these positions will be called “chairs.” When the state House and Senate adopted their rules this week, both bodies updated language to make it more gender neutral. Rep. William Galvin, D-Canton, who led the committee that revised the House rules, said the goal was to make language more “gender neutral and gender inclusive.”
Women’s rights advocates have been pushing for years to ban insurance companies from charging women more than men for policies. Women’s rights advocates have been pushing for years to ban insurance companies from charging women more than men for policies. The bill, H.482, sponsored by Rep. Ruth Balser, D-Newton, would prohibit a company that issues disability insurance from discriminating against someone based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation or marital status. The insurer would not be allowed to reject an applicant, cancel a policy or demand higher premiums based on those categories.