HARRISBURG, PA — The state House this week advanced a bill to protect the rights of individuals seeking abortion from legal repercussions in other states.
The “shield bill” is aimed at mitigating the risk of out-of-state enforcement against healthcare providers in Pennsylvania who provide care, including abortion, to patients from our state and elsewhere.
The bill, sponsored by state Reps. Melissa Shusterman, a Chester County Democrat, and Mary Jo Daley, a Montgomery County Democrat, passed Wednesday by a vote of 117-86. The bill heads to the state Senate for consideration.
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Shusterman, a sponsor of the bill, said women are afraid in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, noting an alarming number of states have enacted total or near-total bans on abortion.
“While we cannot prevent other states from criminalizing abortion, what we can do is protect individuals seeking and providing reproductive healthcare services here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” said.
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State Rep. Lisa Borowski, who also sponsored the bill passed with bipartisan support, said the bill also reaffirmed that all people have the right to make decisions about their own bodies, families, and reproductive futures.
Borowski, a Democrat representing District 168, said the bill also helps to ensure that any person who needs an abortion can access that care in Pennsylvania safely and legally without fear of retribution.
Learn more about the bill here.
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