Philadelphia City Council declares killing preborn babies a 'human right' while taking aim at pregnancy centers

Philadelphia City Council members voted last week to accept a resolution declaring abortion to be a "human right." They also blasted pregnancy resource centers (PRCs), false claiming that the centers are 'fake' clinics out to harm women.

Key Takeaways:

• Philadelphia City Council members continue to advocate for abortion, declaring abortion a "human right."

• Councilmember Kendra Brooks is pushing for the city to restore funding to Planned Parenthood.

• Abortion advocates also unnecessarily warned against pregnancy resource centers, which provide valuable help to pregnant women and their babies.

The Details:

According to WHYY, Councilmember Kendra Brooks introduced a resolution declaring December 10 to be Human Rights Day, a day “celebrating abortion access as a human right.” Brooks, who championed city funding for Planned Parenthood in 2022 and also chairs the city's Reproductive Freedom Task Force, proposed the resolution in response to the fact that the city's most recent budget, approved in June, did not contain any abortion funding.

“In our most recent budget no money was put towards reproductive care, which is definitely problematic,” Brooks said. “Especially when other cities like Chicago, Atlanta and Baltimore are stepping up with direct city funding for abortion and reproductive care, but here in Philly we can’t even get a hearing.”

She called the lack of funding “an unexpected blow to providers, patients and advocates.”

Pregnancy centers vs. abortion businesses: Who truly offers ‘limited services’?

Brooks used her 'abortion rights' resolution as an opportunity to push for a hearing to consider restoring Planned Parenthood's funding. She first requested the hearing in September to identify “the real human cost of federal and local cuts to reproductive healthcare and identify ways that our city can join other cities like Chicago, Atlanta, and Baltimore in taking a stronger, more proactive stance against the escalating attacks on our reproductive rights.”

However, the hearing has not yet been scheduled, and her staff has reportedly had trouble putting it on the city council's agenda.

Zoom Out:

The WHYY article detailing the pro-abortion resolution also took aim at PRCs, noting that during the city council meeting, "abortion rights advocates said that these 'fake clinics' pose a threat to women seeking reproductive health care, and without financial support from the city, legitimate medical providers could be left in a precarious situation."

It's an all-too-common claim from abortion proponents, who paint PRCs in a dismal light because the centers offer support and resources enabling women to keep and parent their babies if they so choose — support and resources that most abortion businesses do not provide.

These clinics offer services including baby food, clothing, diapers, formula, cribs, car seats, maternity care, and ultrasounds. Some have registered nurses or other medical professionals on staff, while others provide referrals to organizations that provide prenatal and postnatal care.

PRCs enable women to choose life, which hurts the abortion industry's bottom line; abortion is a lucrative business.

The Bottom Line:

City leaders in Philadelphia could advocate for funds where it would really make a difference — supporting women, babies, and families who need financial resources and assistance to thrive. Instead, they're going to continue to advocate for funding to kill preborn children in the womb, while peddling lies about the organizations that provide tangible help to women in need.