(23 hours ago) Rep. Danielle Friel Otten
HARRISBURG, Dec. 17 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today approved a joint resolution sponsored by state Reps. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, Liz Hanbidge, D-Montgomery, and La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny, that would allow Pennsylvania residents to add a Reproductive Rights Amendment to the state constitution. The Otten, Hanbidge and Mayes bill, H.B. 1957 , proposes an amendment to the Pennsylvania constitution that would reaffirm and protect every Pennsylvanians’ right to privacy and ensure that the state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate personal decisions. The amendment would ensure that every individual has a right of privacy with respect to personal, sexual and reproductive health care decisions, including the right to choose or refuse an abortion, the right to choose or refuse contraceptives, and the right to choose or refuse fertility care, all without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or relationship status. The bill passed the House with bipartisan support by a vote of 102 to 101. Today’s action represents a significant step toward advancing the legislation, which could ultimately appear on a future ballot for Pennsylvania voters to decide whether fundamental reproductive rights should be explicitly protected in the state constitution. For the first time in recent legislative history, Pennsylvania is taking proactive steps to protect Read more