This training, led by Kate Weldon LeBlanc, Executive Director of AllPaths Family Building, provides information about advocating for state bills in Massachusetts. The focus of the training is on bills about endometriosis being considered in Massachusetts this session, but the tips can be applicable to anyone interested in advocacy, providing practical steps that may be helpful for any issue.
AllPaths Family Building’s Broader Mission:
The organization, while focused on fertility, has a commitment to supporting the full spectrum of health care for those facing fertility and family building challenges. A key part of this mission is advocating for issues like endometriosis, which are not solely about fertility. As Kate states, “…it’s really important for a fertility-focused nonprofit like AllPaths to be part of the voices saying, endometriosis is not only about fertility”.
Massachusetts Legislative Process 101:
Massachusetts has a two-year legislative session, running from January to July 31st of 2026. Bills are typically filed in January and assigned a docket number (e.g., HD or SD), which is later replaced by a bill number. The bill number is crucial for tracking and referencing a bill. Each bill is assigned to a committee where public hearings are held, with both in-person and virtual options. Each bill has a lead sponsor and can have co-sponsors, which signal broader support for the issue.
Endometriosis Bills in Massachusetts:
There are two key bills related to endometriosis currently in the legislative process:
- Bill 1: “An act relative to endometriosis awareness” – initially referred to as SD 2414 and sponsored by Senator John Velis. This bill proposes creating a Commission on endometriosis.
- Bill 2: “An act relative to the creation of an endometriosis task force” – initially referred to as SD 2389 and HD 4049 sponsored by Senator Robin Kennedy, Representative Lindsay Sabadosa, and Representative Chris Hendricks. This bill proposes creating an endometriosis task force.
Both bills aim to raise awareness, improve care, and promote research regarding endometriosis. And while both bills have similar goals, this table outlines the main differences between them.
Advocacy Actions and Priorities:
The most important action item currently is to contact state legislators (both State Representatives and State Senators) to ask them to co-sponsor the endometriosis bills. A co-sponsor is a legislator who publicly supports a bill. While not required for a bill to pass, having many co-sponsors signals that a bill has widespread support and is not just the concern of a single legislator. This helps to draw attention to the bill and increases its chances of being moved forward.
Personal stories and connections are powerful motivators for legislators, so our emphasis is on personal outreach. When reaching out, share your connection to endometriosis and ask them to co-sponsor either or both of the bills. Bipartisan support for these issues is important because endometriosis affects people across political lines.
Calling is considered more impactful than emailing, though both are valuable. Kate says, “Calling their office, if you feel comfortable doing that, is really really powerful because they don’t get as many calls as they get emails.” When calling, advocates should state they are a constituent, mention the bill number, and briefly share their personal connection or story about endometriosis. When emailing, the same information should be included as well as a request for the legislator to reply, if you’d like.
While there is no hard deadline for co-sponsorship, the earlier the better to show widespread support. There is no minimum or maximum for how many co-sponsors to aim for, but getting as many as possible is always best to signal broad support.
Call to Action for Advocates:
- Identify Your State Legislators: Use the tool on mass.gov to find your State Representative and Senator based on your home address. Save this info. so you can use it for future advocacy!
- Read the Bills: Take time to review the language of both bills, circle or question parts that are interesting or concerning. Use your experience and knowledge to analyze the bills for yourself. You can decide if you support all of them or prefer one version over another.
- Contact Legislators: Call or email both your State Representative and Senator, asking them to co-sponsor the endometriosis bills (SD 2414, SD 2389 and/or HD 4049) and be sure to note the importance of why this issue is important to you, their constituent.
- Share Your Story: Explain in your own words why endometriosis matters to you and your community.
- Stay Engaged: You can check online to see if the legislators have co-sponsored SD 2414, SD 2389, and/or HD 4049. AllPaths will also continue to share advocacy information throughout the legislative session.
Next Steps:
Additional resources, including a sample script/email template can be found on the AllPaths website here.
It is critically important to advocate for endometriosis awareness and improved care in Massachusetts. By understanding the legislative process, utilizing personal stories, and contacting legislators to become co-sponsors, advocates can play a significant role in advancing these important bills.
And even if a bill does not pass, the advocacy process itself is powerful in raising awareness, and should be embraced even if success isn’t immediately achieved. As Kate shares, “…just the process of advocating for the bills can be so powerful in terms of raising awareness. So many people don’t even know what endometriosis is.”