BRAINTREE -- Massachusetts' four Catholic bishops are urging the faithful to oppose a newly signed law expanding late-term abortion access, calling it a "tragedy" that puts pregnant women and unborn children at risk and asking Catholics to support an effort to suspend it.

Gov. Maura Healey signed the Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act on Aug. 10. The measure allows abortions after 24 weeks, potentially up until birth, based solely on the "professional judgment" of a physician. This removed previous restrictions, which only allowed late-term abortions to preserve the patient's life or their physical or mental health, or in cases of lethal or severe fetal abnormalities.

In a letter to clergy, religious and lay Catholics released last week, Archbishop Richard G. Henning of Boston, Bishop Robert J. McManus of Worcester, Bishop Edgar M. da Cunha of Fall River, and Bishop William D. Byrne of Springfield note the law permits abortion throughout pregnancy for any reason and allows late-term abortion procedures outside hospitals.

In the Archdiocese of Boston, Archbishop Henning asked that the letter be included in all parish bulletins for the weekend of Sept. 26-27.

The bishops said the law leaves Massachusetts' "most vulnerable citizens -- children in the womb and their pregnant mothers -- at perilous risk."

"This law is a tragedy, and the Catholic legislators who helped to enact it have caused grave scandal," they wrote.

The bishops directed readers to an effort by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and Massachusetts Family Action to keep the law from taking effect in 2027. The groups formed the Compassionate Care Coalition, which is seeking enough signatures to suspend the law and place it before voters in 2028.

"There is also an effort underway to pause and even possibly overturn this immoral law," the bishops wrote. "We encourage you to take part in this effort and raise your own voice in opposition to the law and in favor of life."

Under the Massachusetts Constitution, petitioners can delay a law by collecting signatures equal to 2 percent of the votes cast in the most recent statewide election. Opponents need 49,716 certified signatures, but the coalition is aiming to obtain 80,000 to 100,000 because of stringent certification requirements.

Coalition Chair Sam Miele told The Pilot that, as of Sept. 29, hundreds of volunteers had spent more than a week gathering signatures, with support from parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston.

"All of us, the faithful, are very encouraged by the leadership shown by all of the bishops across Massachusetts," Coalition Statewide Coordinator John Ribeiro said. "Everyone is heartened by this, and it's really driving people to donate; it's driving people to volunteer; it's driving people to engage at their parish on this critical issue."

Signatures must be delivered to town clerks statewide by Oct. 23 for certification as belonging to registered voters. Certified signatures are due to the Secretary of the Commonwealth by Nov. 6.

The letter directs Catholics to repeal188.com for more information about the suspension and repeal effort.

In their letter, the bishops also stressed alternatives to abortion. Citing a 2023 article in the Cureus Journal of Medical Science, they said 60 percent of women considering abortion would choose life if they felt they had more material and emotional support.

"We invite every expectant mother in distress to ask us for help," the bishops wrote. "We ask that elected officials and healthcare providers -- especially those whose consciences are rightly troubled by the new law -- work to ensure that life-sustaining care for vulnerable children in utero and that mothers and fathers who feel alone and overwhelmed have all they need to welcome and raise their children with confidence."

"The Lord Jesus Christ saw the forgotten and reached out to the neglected," the bishops continued. "As Bishops, we call upon all to see the dignity of the poor, the unborn, the sick and the elderly. No one is expendable, no one is a burden. All have a sacred God-given dignity. The foundation of social justice is this inviolable dignity of the human person. The Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act unjustly condemns to death our most vulnerable children and pits a mother against her own child."

For Respect Life Month, the bishops urged Catholics to pray for civil leaders, contact their representatives, speak publicly against the law and support women and families in crisis. They also directed readers to Pregnancy Help Boston, which offers free and confidential assistance through centers in Brighton, Brockton, and Natick.

"In our state with such a radical law, it is more important than ever for us to make clear our desire to welcome and nurture the gift of life," the bishops wrote.