By Josué Sierra, Director of Communications, Pennsylvania Family Council
On Wednesday, October 22, the Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee advanced seven sweeping abortion bills, each designed to dismantle existing pro-life protections and expand abortion access at every stage of pregnancy. All six measures passed on a 14-12 party-line vote, with every Democrat voting in favor and every Republican opposed.
The votes followed a hearing dominated by abortion-industry talking points and punctuated by a celebratory post from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates claiming that “lawmakers advanced a major package of pro-reproductive-freedom bills.” Their language—“privacy safeguards,” “clinic protections,” “removal of mandatory delays”—masks what these bills actually do: remove protections that save lives, shield abortion facilities from accountability, and pave the way for taxpayer-funded abortion until birth.
HB 670 creates new criminal penalties for those who peacefully pray or offer alternatives outside abortion facilities. HB 1640, HB 1641, HB 1643, and HB 1966 build legal “shields” for abortion providers, blocking accountability and preventing cooperation with investigations, arrests, subpoenas, extradition, or lawsuits from other states. HB 2005 repeals Pennsylvania’s 24-hour waiting and counseling period, eliminating a key safeguard meant to ensure informed consent. And HB 1957 proposes a constitutional amendment establishing a so-called “right to personal reproductive liberty.”
That amendment – HB 1957 – would go far beyond Roe v. Wade. It would make Pennsylvania one of the most extreme abortion states in the nation by enshrining abortion until birth, eliminating parental consent laws, and forcing taxpayers to pay for abortion.
As Dan Bartkowiak, Chief Strategic Officer for Pennsylvania Family Council, noted on X:
“If there’s a ‘right’ to abort a baby put into the PA Constitution, it will mean an abortion can happen at any time, for any reason, and taxpayers forced to pay.”
Professor Elizabeth Kirk’s testimony: “Strict in theory, fatal in fact”
During the hearing, Professor Elizabeth Kirk, a law professor at The Catholic University of America, offered a clear legal analysis of HB 1957. Her testimony revealed the sweeping, radical nature of the proposal.
“The predictable and likely effect of this amendment will be to invalidate existing Pennsylvania law with respect to abortion specifically, but reproduction more generally, and deter the enactment of future commonsense legislation.”
Kirk explained that the amendment’s language imposes strict scrutiny, the highest legal test, which virtually guarantees that any limit on abortion would be struck down.
“It’s such a high bar that, colloquially, it’s referred to as strict in theory, fatal in fact, meaning that very few laws survive challenge under this rigorous test.”
She also warned that the amendment’s broad use of the term “individual” could apply to minors.
“The plain text makes no distinction between adults and minors. It suggests that Pennsylvania courts may grant an absolute right to abortion or any other reproductive decision, which substantially weakens the Commonwealth’s interest in protecting parental rights.”
And she noted the financial implications:
“Every state court that recognized an independent right to abortion and adopted strict scrutiny has struck down limits on taxpayer funding of abortion on nondiscrimination grounds.”
Despite her detailed testimony, Democratic lawmakers offered little substantive response and pressed forward without debate. Not a single one challenged her points.
Following the hearing, Professor Kirk took to X (formerly Twitter) to clarify just how misleading some of the other testimony had been. She wrote:
Her warning underscores how proponents are already using deceptive language to minimize the true consequences of this amendment — even as they seek to embed it permanently in Pennsylvania’s Constitution.
The Church Ambassador Network
Members of the Pennsylvania Family Council and our Church Ambassador Network were present at the hearing, seated in the front row as witnesses to the proceedings. Every representative who spoke up for life took time afterward to thank our team for being there.
Several of the participating Church Ambassador Network pastors and staff were able to pray with legislators once the hearing adjourned. Michael Kaucher, our Capitol Engagement Director, noted that, “Watching the committee vote unfold made clear that we are in the midst of a deep spiritual battle. Yet knowing that truth gives us grace to reach out to both parties, trusting that the Holy Spirit can change hearts as we carry the light of Christ into the Capitol.”
A celebration of euphemisms
Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates quickly praised the outcome, declaring it a victory for what they call “freedom.” What they euphemistically call “privacy safeguards” are legal shields for abortion providers; what they call “clinic protections” are immunity clauses that protect the abortion business from malpractice; and what they call “removal of mandatory delays” is the elimination of a reflection period that has helped countless women make more informed choices.
As Pennsylvania Family Council President Michael Geer wrote in his Commentary earlier this week:
“They are relentless. Who am I talking about? Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry.
What is it about the deliberate taking of an innocent human life through abortion that attracts hundreds of millions of dollars in political donations, fuels aggressive and sometimes violent activism, and celebrates abortion up to birth?
Whatever it is, I’m reminded of the verse in Proverbs 8:36, ‘But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.’”
This legislative onslaught is only one part of what Michael described as a full-court press by the abortion lobby—an aggressive, coordinated effort unfolding simultaneously in the legislature, in the courts, and at the ballot box.
In the courts, the abortion industry is pursuing a major case that could fundamentally reshape Pennsylvania’s pro-life protections. On November 5, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court will hear oral arguments in Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services—a case brought by Planned Parenthood and other abortion facilities seeking to force taxpayer funding of elective abortions.
If successful, the case could open the door for courts to invent a “constitutional right” to abortion until birth under Pennsylvania’s Constitution.
And just one day earlier, on November 4, three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices—David Wecht, Christine Donohue, and Kevin Dougherty—will appear on the ballot for retention elections. All three previously ruled in Planned Parenthood’s favor in this same case, sending it back to the lower court and signaling openness to creating a constitutional “right to abortion.” Two of them have publicly campaigned on support for “abortion rights.”
A “Yes” vote will give them another ten-year term; a “No” vote will end their tenure. Voters can learn more at PAFamilyVoter.com.
What’s at stake
The abortion lobby’s campaign seeks to erase every protection for unborn children, remove parental involvement, and force citizens to subsidize the abortion industry. Yet, Pennsylvanians have consistently supported reasonable safeguards like informed consent, parental notification, and limits on late-term abortion.
These six bills now move to the full House for consideration. If the constitutional amendment passes both chambers in two consecutive sessions, it would then go to voters for approval—effectively rewriting Pennsylvania’s Constitution to guarantee abortion on demand.
The stakes could not be higher.
Take action
Pennsylvanians who cherish life cannot remain silent. Visit our Citizen Action Center to send a message to your legislators urging them to oppose these six dangerous bills and to reject the proposed constitutional amendment.
Pray for wisdom for our judges, courage for our lawmakers, and compassion for women facing unplanned pregnancies.
And on November 4, make your voice heard at the ballot box—for life, for families, and for the future of Pennsylvania.
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