Massachusetts Passes Repeal of 173-Year-Old Abortion Ban Amid Fears for Future of Roe v. Wade

Abortion is already legal under state law in Massachusetts — but that didn’t stop abortion rights advocates from pushing through a bill last week to formally repeal the state’s 173-year-old law against “procuring a miscarriage” that remained on the books.

The NASTY Women Act (Negating Archaic Statutes Targeting Young Women) passed in a landslide and is expected to be signed by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. It will make Massachusetts the first state to respond to the possibility that Roe v. Wade – the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in America – could be repealed or significantly weakened following the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Massachusetts State Senate President Harriette Chandler tells TIME that women in the state legislature have wanted to pass similar legislation for six years, but that Kennedy’s retirement from the Supreme Court hastened the process.