The Massachusetts House and Senate on Friday overrode a veto by Gov. Mitt Romney (R) of a bill (SB 2073/HB 1643) that requires hospital emergency departments in the state to offer emergency contraception to rape survivors and allows pharmacists to dispense the drug to women of all ages without a doctor's prescription, the Boston Globe reports. The state Senate approved the veto override 37-0, and the House approved it 139-16, a two-thirds majority in each chamber was needed, the state Department of Public Health now must write regulations to implement the measure, which could take weeks or months, according to the Globe (Greenberger, Boston Globe, 9/16). The law is scheduled to take effect 90 days from the override. Massachusetts is the eighth state to both require EC availability in emergency departments and allow it to be distributed by pharmacists without a prescription (LeBlanc, AP/Canada.com, 9/16). Romney in July said he vetoed the bill because he thought it would change state abortion laws, which would violate a campaign promise he made in 2002. "To those who believe that life begins at conception, the morning-after pill can destroy the human life that was created at the moment of fertilization," Romney wrote in his veto letter to lawmakers, adding that the measure also would violate the state's parental consent laws because it does not include age restrictions for obtaining EC (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 7/26). Supporters of the Massachusetts law said Romney actually broke his word when he vetoed the bill (Boston Globe, 9/16). According to a Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts press release, when asked if he supported "efforts to increase access to emergency contraception" during his 2002 campaign, the governor answered "yes" (PPLM release, 7/14).