Abortion Criminal Charges: PA Bill Would Protect Out-Of-State Patients

HARRISBURG, PA — Democratic lawmakers in Pennsylvania have introduced legislation that would provide legal protection for individuals coming to the state for abortion services following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

More than half the states in the nation have Republican-controlled legislatures and governors that either already have, or plan to swiftly bring an end to state protections for abortion following the federal decision. Pennsylvania is not only an exception to that rule, but is in the unique position of sharing major borders with red states like Ohio and West Virginia.

The new legislation would prohibit healthcare providers in Pennsylvania from disclosing reproductive health information without the express consent of the patient.

"Several states where abortion is restricted or banned have already attempted to pursue or announced their intent to pursue criminal or civil action against patients who cross state lines to receive reproductive care," according to a co-sponsorship memorandum written by a group of six legislators.

Criminal charges over abortion have been a hotly discussed topic since Roe's reversal. In Pennsylvania, Republican U.S. Senate candidate and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz said that "abortion is murder," and gubernatorial GOP candidate State Sen. Doug Mastriano took it a step farther and said that women who get abortions should be officially charged with murder.

With Republican control of the General Assembly, the new legislation appears unlikely to advance.

Pennsylvania's current law allows for abortions up to 24 weeks into pregnancy. While an eager Republican legislature would leap on the chance to put restrictions in place, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf — and gubernatorial candidate and current Attorney General Shapiro— would veto any such legislation.

Months before the Roe v. Wade draft opinion was even leaked, healthcare providers in Pennsylvania were preparing for just such a contingency. Sydney Etheredge, the CEO of Planned Parenthood in Western Pennsylvania, told the PA Capitol Star that patients were welcome "whether they're in our region or in sister regions and states nearby."

While clinics are doing what they can to prepare for the influx, an overload might be inevitable. About 85 percent of the state's counties do not have abortion clinics in the first place, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-choice oriented think tank.

Aside from bracing for an influx of patients, clinics are also bracing for potential unrest. Given violent protests and exchanges in the recent past, additional patrols have been requested and new security measures put into place at several Philadelphia area clinics, the Associated Press reports.

The group of Democrats sponsoring the new bill includes Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, Rep. Emily Kinkead, Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, Rep. Christopher M. Rabb, and Rep. Dan Frankel.