On June 24th, 2022, the US Supreme Court overruled Roe vs. Wade and concluded that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion. With this decision, laws that criminalize or otherwise ban abortion are no longer considered invalid under the United States Constitution.
Can someone be arrested for getting an abortion in Pennsylvania now?
Under Pennsylvania law, abortion is currently legal. There is no provision that would support criminal charges for a person who seeks an abortion, a person who helps that person get an abortion, or a medical professional who provides an abortion in a manner consistent with the law.
Are there any pending bills that would change the right to get an abortion in Pennsylvania?
Right now, there are several bills pending in the Pennsylvania General Assembly that would change abortion law in the state.
- HB 1500 and SB 21 would criminalize providing an abortion that is sought as a result of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.
- HB 904 and SB 378 would prohibit abortions after the detection of activity that the bill describes as a “fetal heartbeat”
- The joint resolutions of HB 2252 and SB 956 would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution by stating that there is no right to abortion in the Commonwealth and would state that there is no right to public funding of abortion in Pennsylvania.
- HB 1872 would require that “pain relief medication” be administered to a fetus that is over 12 weeks gestation.
Link to the full Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf