FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on the first day of the new term as activists demonstrate on the plaza, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. Arguments are planned for December challenging Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court's major decisions over the last half-century that guarantee a woman's right to an abortion nationwide. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen on the first day of the new term as activists demonstrate on the plaza, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. Arguments are planned for December challenging Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court's major decisions over the last half-century that guarantee a woman's right to an abortion nationwide. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
(Philadelphia) — Governor Tom Wolf was joined by Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro, local leaders, and abortion activists at People’s Park in Philadelphia in support of a person’s right to access abortion.
This comes in the wake of the United States Supreme Court hearing arguments on the Mississippi abortion case. Wolf said current protections may not be enough without the federal protection of Roe V. Wade.
Wolf said his office will do what it can — vetoing anti-abortion bills that land on his desk — until the Supreme Court makes its final decision, but in the end it will not be enough should the Court dismiss 50 years of federally protected abortion rights.
“Without federal protection in place, the reproductive rights of women, birthing people, and families all across Pennsylvania are a lot more precarious,” Wolf said.
Since 2016, there have been six different anti-abortion bills introduced by members of Pennsylvania’s General Assembly, three of which made it as far as Wolf’s desk. The governor said he has vetoed the bills and will continue to veto any anti-abortion measures that land on his desk.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro said anti-abortion politicians will not stop with bans in Texas and Mississippi, as others states are filing similar bills, including Pennsylvania.
Matt Rourke / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf displays his signature after vetoing a bill passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature to limit abortions to the first 20 weeks of pregnancy at City Hall in Philadelphia, Monday, Dec. 18, 2017.
“It’s one of the reasons why I filed a brief in the Mississippi case, the case that was just recently heard in the Supreme Court of the United States, urging the court to reject Mississippi’s unconstitutional ban on abortions after 15 weeks,” he said.
Shapiro, along with more than 20 other attorneys general, has also filed a brief in Texas, and its controversial law that would allow anyone to sue a nurse, doctor, or Uber or Lyft driver for assisting women in getting an abortion.
Lawmakers were joined by Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Lindsey Mauldin, Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, touched on the difficulty of getting an abortion at 17 due to restrictive abortion laws. She said that because she had transportation, and was able to pay out of pocket for the cost, it was more feasible for her to do than someone without access to transportation and financial resources.
She said Roe v. Wade never meant access for all.
“In Pennsylvania, trap laws, burdensome clinic requirements, funding of anti-abortion fake health clinics, lack of comprehensive statewide sex education, and the majority of a state legislation hostile to abortion,” have made abortion more difficult to access, despite Roe v. Wade, Mauldin said.
She said this is particularly true for groups that face difficulty accessing abortions due to race, living in rural areas, age, low income, or living with a disability.
“Every person deserves freedom to make the decisions right for their lives, their families, and their futures,” said state Senator Nikil Saval. “A handful of Supreme Court justices shouldn’t have the power to strip it away. This is gender justice. This is racial justice. And this is economic justice.”
This story was originally published on whyy.org. WHYY is the leading public media station serving the Philadelphia region, including Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania. This story originally appeared on WHYY.org.
A collection of interviews, photos, and music videos, featuring local musicians who have stopped by the WITF performance studio to share a little discussion and sound. Produced by WITF’s Joe Ulrich.
