The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee advanced seven radical abortion bills Wednesday that would protect, expand and fund the abortion industry.
Each bill passed in a 14-12, party line vote, with Democrat committee members voting for the proposed measures and Republican members voting against them.
“These laws would make Pennsylvania one of the most extreme abortion states in the country overnight,” Lexi Sneller, a Policy Analyst with the Pennsylvania Family Council, told the Daily Citizen.
Four of the bills would shield abortion providers from prosecution, both from pro-life states and women harmed by abortions.
HB 1643 and HB 1966 prohibit Pennsylvania courts from cooperating with out-of-state judgements and legal cases against in-state abortion providers.
HB 1640 prohibits abortion providers from disclosing records to state courts without patient permission. Sneller says this bill would protect abortion providers from in-state prosecutions if Pennsylvania’s government became more pro-life.
HB 1641 effectively requires insurance companies to provide medical liability insurance to healthcare companies that perform abortions on citizens from states where abortion is illegal.
Pennsylvania informed consent law requires a mother to receive counseling on alternatives to abortion before going through with the procedure. It also requires a mother to wait at least 24 hours between deciding on an abortion and receiving one.
HB 2005 would completely remove both requirements, allowing desperate mothers to receive abortions without any time to consider other options.
HB 670 would criminalize peaceful protest outside abortion clinics. Prohibited conduct would encompass violent and non-violent “physical obstruction and intimidation [of] or interference [with]” a person trying to enter an abortion clinic, including persuading someone not to receive an abortion.
The bill is modeled off the Biden administration’s FACE Act, which led to the imprisonment of dozens of peaceful, pro-life protesters in 2024.
The final bill, HB 1957, would amend the Pennsylvania state constitution give every “individual” the right to “exercise personal reproductive liberty,” including undergoing an abortion.
The amendment would impose strict scrutiny — the highest level of legal review — on current and future pro-life laws, effectively gutting Pennsylvania’s pro-life protections.
“It’s such a high bar that, colloquially, it’s referred to as ‘strict in theory, fatal in fact,’ meaning that very few laws survive challenge under this rigorous test,” Dr. Elizabeth Kirk, a law professor at The Catholic University of America, testified before the Judiciary Committee.
The amendment would further require taxpayers to fund elective abortions. It does not limit a mother’s “right” to abortion at a certain gestation, which means the amendment could be used to defend a “right” to abortion until birth.
Dr. Kirk also warned the amendment’s broad language could open the door for minors to receive abortions without their parents’ consent:
The plain text makes no distinction between adults and minors. It suggests that Pennsylvania courts may grant an absolute right to abortion or any other reproductive decisions, which substantially weakens the Commonwealth’s interest in protecting parental rights.
Planned Parenthood Advocates Pennsylvania celebrated the committee taking a “stand for health, dignity and freedom” on Instagram. But these bills do nothing to protect women’s health, dignity or freedom. Each one is oriented toward protecting the people who profit from performing abortions.
Enshrining a potentially unlimited “right” to abortion in the Pennsylvania constitution guarantees the existence of the lucrative abortion industry at the expense of women, babies and parental rights.
Eliminating Pennsylvania’s informed consent requirements and criminalizing people who encourage women to choose life increases the likelihood that business like Planned Parenthood will make money off vulnerable women.
Shielding abortion care providers from prosecution could prevent women from suing negligent doctors, which effectively eliminates abortion providers’ incentive to ensure women are fully informed and consenting before undergoing an abortion.
Pennsylvania abortion clinics routinely fail to meet health codes as it is. These clinics racked up a combined 600 health and building safety infractions between 2012 and 2025, according to Pennsylvania Family Council.
Between 2022 and 2025, 13 of 18 Pennsylvania “abortion mills” failed a health inspection — including nine Planned Parenthoods.
“The fact that Planned Parenthood is so excited about these bills shows they don’t care about women,” Sneller remarked. “They don’t care about choice. They don’t even care about freedom. They care about their bottom line and their ability to do whatever they want with as little restrictions as possible.”
Tax records show Planned Parenthood in Pennsylvania has gobbled up $45 million in taxpayer funding since 2012.
The Daily Citizen encourages Pennsylvania readers to contact your representative and urge them to vote no on these radical, destructive bills.
Additional Articles and Resources
President Trump Pardons 23 Peaceful Pro-Life Protesters
House Subcommittee Examines Weaponization of FACE Act Against Pro-Life Supporters
Louisiana, ADF Challenge Biden-Era Abortion-By-Mail Scheme
FDA Approves Generic Abortion Pill Despite Ongoing Safety Review
FDA Launches Review of Abortion Pill and the Harms it Causes Women
Pro-Abortion States Beef Up Protections for Abortion Pill Prescribers
Texas Father Sues Out-of-State Abortionist for Killing His Preborn Children
Shield Laws Enable Chemical Abortion in Pro-Life States
Shield Law Abortion Providers Advertised Alongside Black Market Abortion Pills
Texas Sues New York Doctor for Prescribing Abortion Meds
New Abortion Pill Study Confirms Danger to Mothers
Woman Nearly Dies from Abortion Pill, Story Reflects Disturbing EPPC Data
Focus on the Family Broadcast: Abortion Pill Reversal
#AbortionChangesYou: A Case Study to Understand the Communicative Tensions in Women’s Medication Abortion Narratives (Health Communication)
The Abortion Pill Harms Women: Insurance Data Reveals One in Ten Patients Experiences a Serious Adverse Event (Ethics and Public Policy Center)
