Last month, Gov. Maura Healey signed bill H4744 into law, making Massachusetts the seventh state in the country to classify coercive control as a form of domestic violence. Domestic violence is about power and control; it’s one person using a pattern of behaviors to gain and maintain power and control over their partner. Recognizing coercive control as a form of domestic violence is long overdue. It could potentially prevent the abuse from escalating. This bill isn’t a magical answer, but it is one important step towards loudly and emphatically condemning all forms of abuse.