HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (LifeSiteNews) – The Pennsylvania Senate has advanced legislation declaring that the “right to abortion or funding abortions” is not supported by the state constitution.
On June 6, the state Senate voted 29-20 in support of Senate Bill 956 which would change the Pennsylvania Constitution, stating that there is no “right” to abortion or taxpayer funding of abortions, as reported by The Daily Item.
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“My constitutional amendment would make it so that the people’s elected representatives are the ones who set policy regarding abortions, not activist judges,” lead sponsor Senator Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, said.
“When it comes to protecting the lives of the unborn and protecting women’s health, we must keep the power to legislate in the hands of the people’s representatives,” she added.
The amendment language must be approved by the state House and Senate twice and then be voted on by ballot in order for it to be enshrined in the Pennsylvania Constitution.
President for policy at the Pennsylvania Family Institute Tom Shaheen supports the new bill, warning that an abortion lawsuit being considered by the state Supreme Court could prove to be devastating.
“Today, Pennsylvania faces the greatest threat to unborn children and their mothers since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision,” he wrote in an email to supporters last week.
“To put it bluntly, Pennsylvania is at risk of becoming a state like New York that allows abortions up until birth – and paid for by taxpayers,” Shaheen added.
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation warned the lawsuit could force taxpayers to fund elective abortions in addition to overturning the state parental consent law, meaning that teenage girls would not require their parents’ permission to abort their unborn children.
The lawsuit could also result in late-term abortions and remove informed consent for women. “We would also lose regular inspections of abortion facilities, meaning that hair and nail salons would face greater scrutiny than abortion centers,” the organization added.
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However, Senate Bill 956 seeks to uphold the former laws in addition to allowing state lawmakers to pass legislation protecting mothers and unborn babies.
“We are living in a historic moment in the pro-life movement as Roe v Wade may finally be thrown upon the ash heap of history,” Shaheen said. “But our future here in Pennsylvania may be worse than under Roe if we don’t stop Planned Parenthood and pass the Life Amendment.”
While some states have passed bills to enshrine abortion into their state constitutions, many pro-life states are passing legislation to protect the unborn.
As the news of the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade has shocked America, many states have responded by passing a series of pro-life laws to protect defenseless unborn children.