HARRISBURG, Pa. – By a 28-22 vote, Pennsylvania senators advanced a proposal that would change the state constitution. The amendment would allow it to be said that the state constitution does not guarantee the right to abortion or to taxpayer-funded abortions.
The House passed the approval late Friday night after hours of debate.
“This amendment does not ban abortion,” said Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland County). “We’re the only ones empowering the people of Pennsylvania to put their voice into Pennsylvania’s laws.”
Retired Supreme Court Justice Cheryl Allen called the ruling a victory she was ecstatic about.
“It’s going to be strictly decided by the voters, by the people, as it should be,” Allen told Channel 11 News. “That’s all the US Supreme Court said. They didn’t ban abortion in the US. This is a state issue.
State Sen. Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) called the measure “disturbing” and said he would continue to fight for women to have the right to choose what to do with their bodies.
“There are women who are faced with life-and-death situations or life-changing decisions that will have to support a child,” Costa said. “That decision will be made in this process by the majority of white men and a few minority men.”
Senator Costa says this amendment, which the governor cannot veto, could be on the ballot for voters to decide as early as May 2023.
There are four other amendments to this proposal, including an amendment requiring voters to show identification in order to vote. Some say it strengthens election security, while others call it voter suppression.
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