Slew of pro-abortion bills could make Pennsylvania 'one of the most extreme... overnight'

Lawmakers in a Pennsylvania House committee voted to advance seven radical pro-abortion bills last week, including an amendment that would enshrine the 'right' to abortion in the state's constitution, and — pro-family groups claim — even cementing things like 'transgender care' for minors.

Key Takeaways:

• The House Judiciary Committee passed seven bills last week — to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right, shield abortionists, target pro-life activity, and eliminate a 24-hour waiting period.

• Pro-lifers warn that if these bills pass the full legislature, Pennsylvania will be one of the most extreme pro-abortion states in the nation.

The Details:

Pennsylvania Democrats in the House Judiciary Committee advanced seven pro-abortion bills last week, each on a party-line vote of 14-12.

Allowing abortion to birth

Perhaps the most extreme of all the bills, HB 1957, the Reproductive Rights Amendment, would create a constitutional 'right' to abortion, thereby opening the door for the removal of most of the state's preborn protections and allowing abortion up to birth “when the pregnancy poses a serious health risk or threatens the life” of the mother.

Pro-life groups say the legislation would also eliminate parental consent laws and force taxpayers to pay for abortions. The bill's current text states:

Every individual has the fundamental right to exercise personal reproductive liberty and make and effectuate decisions regarding the individual's own reproduction, including the ability to choose or refuse to prevent, continue or end the individual's pregnancy, the right to choose or refuse contraceptives and the right to choose or refuse fertility care, all without discrimination on the basis of race, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or relationship status.

The Commonwealth may not deny, burden, infringe upon or abridge this right unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.

During testimony, Elizabeth Kirk, co-director of the Center for Law and the Human Person at the Catholic University of America, said that this Pennsylvania amendment is among the most extreme in the country (emphases added):

"This is an extreme protection.

And I want to reiterate that it’s not just about abortion, it’s about all services that would be related to reproduction. So, sterilization, gender transition surgeries, whatever you might imagine would be related to that.

It’s not just about abortion, but yes, it’s the most extreme version of protection for those … activities."

Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation Legislative Director Maria Gallagher told The Federalist prior to the Committee's vote:

“They have no restriction on abortion in the language.

These bills are incredibly bad for women and babies in Pennsylvania; they would do everything from establish taxpayer funding of abortion to establishing late term abortions, to taking away the 24-hour waiting period for abortion, to taking away the counseling requirements for abortion.

And what that would mean, is that women would not be told the risks of abortion or alternatives to abortion before an abortion takes place. This is really turning back the clock on protections for pregnant women and their babies.”

PA Family stated that the amendment "would make Pennsylvania one of the most extreme abortion states in the nation by enshrining abortion until birth, eliminating parental consent laws, and forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion."

Minority Chair Republican Rob Kauffman echoed concerns that the amendment's reach extends far beyond abortion to things including cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for children.

“It appears that any effort to deny gender affirming hormone therapy to children on the grounds that the treatments would impair the child's fertility would unquestionably be challenged as infringing upon the child's personal reproductive liberty,” he warned, according to KYW News Radio.

As.noted in an article at The Federalist, in order to be approved, the amendment must pass the full House during two consecutive sessions and then placed before voters to approve in a statewide referendum.

Writer Beth Brelje stated, "The Pennsylvania House Democrat majority over Republicans, 102-101, so there is a good chance this and the other five bills the committee approved will prevail in the House."

Shielding abortionists

Four of the bills — HB 1640, HB 1641, HB 1643, and HB 1966 — would shield law-breaking abortionists and prohibit Pennsylvania authorities and courts from releasing records and assisting in out-of-state investigations regarding abortion.

Shield laws protect abortionists and give women no recourse to seek legal judgement against an abortionist who breaks the law or injures her.

Statewide FACE Act

HB 670 creates a state version of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, imposing new criminal penalties for those who pray and minister outside of abortion facilities.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Lindsay Powell, claimed the bill was necessary because pro-lifers pose a "rising threat" to abortion businesses.

“Specifically this speaks to the rising threat that we’ve seen of folks calling in bomb threats—calling in into the lines of these clinics to obstruct so that folks seeking to use these services aren’t able to [call] because the lines are jammed up,” she said.

Despite this statement, Live Action News has repeatedly shown that it is abortion activists who are overwhelmingly violent towards pro-life sidewalk counselors outside these facilities, and not the other way around. Under the Biden administration, the FACE Act was used as a way to target pro-lifers and their activity outside abortion businesses.

Removing mandatory waiting period

HB 2025 removes a mandatory 24-hour waiting period required for women who want to receive an abortion. This safeguard is important to ensure abortion-minded women have informed consent before going through with the procedure.

The Bottom Line:

Pro-life activists in Pennsylvania are warning that if these bills all pass the full legislature, there will be little protection for preborn children and their mothers in the state.

“These laws would make Pennsylvania one of the most extreme abortion states in the country overnight,” Lexi Sneller, a Policy Analyst with the Pennsylvania Family Council, told the Daily Citizen.