Planned Parenthood Keystone Responds to Passage of Legislation Which Includes A “No Right to an Abortion” Constitutional Amendment

Planned Parenthood Keystone
Contact:
[email protected]
610-481-0481

Warminster, Pennsylvania – Today, the Pennsylvania Legislature moved one giant step closer to stripping Pennsylvanians of their fundamental rights by passing a proposed amendment to the state constitution banning abortion. 

SB 106 passed both chambers on votes of 28 to 22 in the Senate and 107 to 92 in the House. 

Not only do these bills explicitly state that there is no right to abortion, but as a constitutional amendment, they also bypass the Governor’s veto. 

To amend the state constitution, both the House and Senate must pass the proposed amendments in two consecutive legislative sessions (each session lasting two years). Today was the last day of the current two-year session and they accomplished the first half of their goal in the last possible minute. 

They now must publicly advertise the amendment prior to this November’s election and pass the proposed amendment again in the upcoming session which begins this fall. If the amendment passes again, it will appear on the ballot in the upcoming primaries, which are historically the election cycle with the lowest voter turnout. 

Although abortion rights advocates have been spending months educating the public about the anti-abortion constitutional amendment SB 956, anti-abortion politicians added its language to a new bill in the 11th hour of this current session. 

Melissa Reed, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Keystone commented “Let’s be clear: SB 106 has the same intention as SB 956, to create a vehicle to ban abortion. This change to the state’s constitution was pushed in the dead of night in an attempt to strip our fundamental rights while no one is looking. This procedural maneuver reveals the cynical nature of this legislation, and highlights that this bill goes against the will and interests of Pennsylvanians.” 

In fact, 77 percent of Americans support access to safe, legal abortion.  

With the direct overturning of Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court last month leading to historic levels of public support for abortion rights, this decision by the state legislature couldn’t be more out of sync with the will of the people. 

“After the Supreme Court’s devastating decision last month, our state has become a critical destination for people seeking abortion care. This is the time for us to strengthen our commitment to fundamental rights and abortion access in our state — not roll it back even further.” stated Samantha Bobila, Chief External Affairs Officer at Planned Parenthood Keystone. 

We are encouraging our staff, supporters, and partners to act to protect abortion access while there is still time. Visit ppkeystone.org to find out how you can email and call your legislators and tell them why you support access to abortion in Pennsylvania.

Patients in Pennsylvania who need an abortion can also visit ppkeystone.org to get care or call 610-481-0481 to book an appointment. Those who need care outside of Pennsylvania can visit abortionfinder.org to find a provider.