HARRISBURG, PA — The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday approved a joint resolution to add a Reproductive Rights Amendment to the state constitution. Sponsored by Reps. Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County, Liz Hanbidge of Montgomery County, and La’Tasha D. Mayes of Allegheny County, the proposal seeks to guarantee every Pennsylvanian the right to make personal reproductive health decisions free from government interference.
House Bill 1957 would ensure that “the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate personal decisions.” The measure explicitly protects the right to choose or refuse an abortion, contraception, or fertility care, without discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or relationship status.
The proposal follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and shifted reproductive rights decisions to individual states. In response, several states — including Ohio, Michigan, and Vermont — have passed constitutional amendments to secure reproductive freedom at the state level.
“Since the Dobbs decision, citizens across the country have stepped up to defend reproductive freedom in their respective states, and Pennsylvania must be next,” Otten said. “This is about protecting our privacy, our autonomy and our future.” She added that the measure aims to create “a proactive, durable safeguard for generations to come.”
Hanbidge said the amendment would make existing protections unmistakable. “While the Pennsylvania constitution already provides protections against sex discrimination … it’s time to make it unmistakably clear: reproductive freedom, including access to contraception, fertility care and abortion, is a protected right in this commonwealth,” she said.
Mayes called the proposal “essential to reproductive health, reproductive justice and reproductive rights in our commonwealth,” adding that “it is fundamental for a woman or person to make this decision about their health and well-being for themselves.”
Laura Hernández of the State Innovation Exchange said the amendment would signal a deeper commitment to public trust. “Every Pennsylvanian, like every American, deserves access to safe, legal, compassionate and affordable health care,” she said. “By voting in favor of this amendment, legislators affirm … that their bodily autonomy matters.”
If approved by both chambers in two consecutive sessions, the amendment would go before Pennsylvania voters on a future ballot.
Impact on Pennsylvania
If enacted, the measure would mark a pivotal change in Pennsylvania’s constitutional landscape, defining reproductive rights as fundamental and limiting future legislative restrictions.
For Pennsylvanians, the amendment could bring legal clarity on privacy, health care access, and medical autonomy, aligning the state with others that have codified reproductive freedom in the wake of Dobbs. It would also reaffirm Pennsylvania’s role as a key jurisdiction in regional health care policy — one where voters, rather than legislators, determine the future of reproductive rights.
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