By Georgia Skuza
On December 15th, 2021, Senator Judy Ward of Pennsylvania's 30th District proposed a joint resolution to amend the state of Pennsylvania's Constitution, now referred to as Senate Bill 956. In this proposal, Senator Ward wishes to defund all abortion access and deny the right to have an abortion wholly, in the state of Pennsylvania.
On January 25th, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved SB 956. Because the SHHS Committee approved this bill, it now moves to the full Senate for consideration. At this moment, Republicans currently hold 49 out of 100 seats in the US Senate.
US Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA) is openly PRO-LIFE. Governor Tom Wolf is the only politician keeping Pennsylvania from restricting abortions and turning them into Texas-style abortion bans. His term ends in January of 2023, and it is vital we vote for a governor who will protect abortion rights and funding.
The next election cycle is November 8th, 2022, and the only Democrat on the ballot is Attorney Josh Shapiro, who has stated that he would defend abortion rights in Pennsylvania if elected. In an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer from October 6th, 2021, Attorney Shapiro has made the following comments regarding abortions:
“Abortion must be safe, legal, and accessible, and I will do everything I can to defend the right to choose and make sure that a Texas-style abortion ban never becomes law in our Commonwealth.”
The other candidates, however, have commented that they are openly pro-life and would attempt to pass bills similar to the current Texas abortion laws, except Erie County State Senator Dan Laughlin (R-PA):
“I want to keep Pennsylvania’s abortion law exactly the way it is right now. If there was a bill that made it less restrictive, or a bill that made it more restrictive, I would veto either one of those.”
Governor Wolf’s term ends in January of 2023, and it is vital that we support and elect a governor who will protect and show support for abortion rights and funding in Pennsylvania. Governor Wolf has been quite adamant about vetoing anti-abortion bills that come across his desk, but his term ends with the re-election cycle in November 2022. However, this bill has to go through a full Senate and won't be on the ballot until at least January 2023.
I urge everyone this reaches, whether you are a Pennsylvania resident or not, to contact PA state senators here: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm
I also urge you to contact Senator Judy Ward: Jward@pasen.gov and Senator Bob Casey: https://www.bobcasey.com/?fbclid=IwAR33MmXqXtOKSpetUQ-nOOgH8phMmU4sc3fmnQlgxgNmmBDh8ctPil7EJAM.
Finally, Governor Tom Wolf: info@wolfpacpa.com with the subject line PENNSYLVANIA SENATE BILL 956 - PROTECT ABORTION RIGHTS.
I have started a petition to stop Pennsylvania Senate Bill 956 and urging Pennsylvania officials to support and defend abortion rights. You can sign and share here: https://chng.it/bs87fD7Wsv
Image Source: Petition Comments, Stop Pennsylvania SB 956, https://chng.it/wLGtPcFX
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