At one point during the decades-long debate over abortion, most Democrats supported reasonable restrictions on the procedure such as limiting it to very early in a woman’s pregnancy.

But over the years, many in the party began to adopt more extreme positions, even supporting abortion in later months.

Now, a Democratic governor has signed what has become the most extreme abortion law in the country – right up to just before birth – and it has ignited a civil war of sorts within her party.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed legislation Monday eliminating the state’s previous gestational limits on abortion, triggering a rare split among Democrats as several lawmakers in the governor’s own party voted against the measure.

The Prioritizing Patient Access to Care Act removes the state’s statutory restrictions that generally limited abortions after 24 weeks except in certain circumstances.

Under the new law, physicians will have broader authority to determine whether later abortions are medically appropriate, while receiving additional legal protections from penalties that previously applied.