May 3, 2022
Harrisburg, PA − May 3, 2022 − The co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus (WHC), Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks), Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti (D-Montgomery, Delaware), Representative Morgan Cephas (D-Philadelphia) and Representative Mary Jo Daley (D-Narberth), released the following joint statement after reading the draft statement that was leaked out of the Supreme Court of the United States last night regarding Roe v. Wade:
“The draft opinion leaked to the press last night confirmed the worst fears of millions of people throughout the country: the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. This is despite hours of testimony under oath during confirmation hearings where some of the justices that are, according to reports, ruling with the majority, stated that Roe was settled law. We know this impending ruling will not end abortion. Instead, abortions will only become more dangerous in many states. In fact, twelve states already have trigger bans on the books, meaning abortion could be severely restricted or outright banned in the coming months.
While abortion remains safe and legal in Pennsylvania, we are closer than we have been in 50 years to that no longer being a reality. Make no mistake, without the Governor’s veto pen, the majority in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Pennsylvania Senate would have passed trigger bans of their own. In fact, a photo posted online showed members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly participating in a “Post Roe Strategy Summit” in the Capitol just last month. Some members wasted little time putting out statements hailing the not-yet-official decision. If it was not already clear, it should be now, the majority in the Pennsylvania Legislature will move quickly to pass abortion bans here in the commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus remains steadfast in its support of the right to choose. Our members remain united and ready to fight on behalf of reproductive health rights. As your elected officials, we are leading the charge to protect the right to choose. We can’t do it alone. We need every Pennsylvanian to stand with us in our mission to ensure everyone in the commonwealth has access to the health care services they need and deserve. In our free country, everyone must be free to choose their own destiny.”
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March 10, 2022
Harrisburg, PA − March 10, 2022 − The co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus (WHC), Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks), Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti (D-Montgomery, Delaware), Representative Morgan Cephas (D-Philadelphia) and Representative Mary Jo Daley (D-Narberth), released the following joint statement to express the caucus’ gratitude on Abortion Provider Appreciation Day:
“Today, March 10, 2022, is Abortion Provider Appreciation Day. We would like to take the opportunity to thank abortion providers across Pennsylvania as they continue to provide vital healthcare services in the face of these unprecedented attacks on the right to choose and under the additional pressures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While we are facing attacks on abortion access at every level- and in every shape and form anti-abortion legislators can imagine- it is crucial that we uplift abortion providers who are persevering through this political climate to provide comprehensive reproductive healthcare for their patients.
Join us in thanking abortion providers across the nation today!”
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May 4, 2021
Harrisburg, PA − May 4, 2021 − The co-chairs of the Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus (WHC), Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks), Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti (D-Montgomery, Delaware), Representative Morgan Cephas (D-Philadelphia) and Representative Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery), released the following joint statement after today’s House Health Committee Anti-Abortion Hearing:
“Today’s hearing in the Pennsylvania House Health Committee was a dangerous display of misinformation that hinders public understanding about safe and legal medical procedures. Hearings are supposed to serve as a forum for dialogue between legislators and expert testifiers so we, as elected officials, can create policy that is based in reality and driven by facts. Unfortunately, that has not been the case for the series of hearings that have been paraded in front of us for the last few weeks because the experts who testified were counterbalanced by unqualified and politically motivated individuals. At today’s hearing in particular, the Majority Chair of the Health Committee gave a platform to an actor whose false and dangerous rhetoric has been linked to inciting violence.
David Daleiden, who was invited to testify before today’s Health Committee, was at the center of a nationwide publicity stunt to destroy Planned Parenthood by falsely accusing them of trafficking fetal tissue in heavily edited videos. The publicity stunt has been completely debunked. No investigation, including in Pennsylvania, found that Planned Parenthood broke any laws.
Daleiden and his allies have made no secret that their end goal is to ban access to safe, legal abortion in America, and we have seen them stop at nothing in pursuit of that goal — no matter who gets hurt, what laws they break, or how many people they prevent from accessing health care.
Despite being widely discredited, Daleiden’s campaign nonetheless stoked an increase in violence and threats against abortion providers, staff, and patients—including a 2015 shooting spree at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, where nine people were injured and three people were murdered.
As a legislature, we should be working to disqualify this false rhetoric, not inviting its amplifiers to our chambers, and complimenting them with the title of an expert. As the Women’s Health Caucus, we condemn the Majority Chair of the House Health Committee’s irresponsible and dangerous decision to use the power and resources of the legislature to disseminate politically motivated, false, and malicious accusations about abortion providers.
We thank those Representatives on the committee who have continually stood up for reproductive justice throughout these hearings, including our own co-chair Representative Morgan Cephas, and one of the WHC’s founders, Representative Dan Frankel.”
Read the joint statement from Women’s Law Project and Pennsylvania advocates to condemn today’s “Pro-life Hearing” in the PA House Health Committee here.
Read our latest press release “Facts Matter in discussion about abortion.”
Follow the Women’s Health Caucus on Twitter and Facebook. Check out our website here.
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