Why abortion rights advocates are frustrated with Pa. Democrats

HARRISBURG — In the hours after House Democrats realized they’d flip the state House for the first time in 12 years, they credited their unexpected one-seat majority to their promise to protect reproductive rights in Pennsylvania.

More than six months into their majority, however, they have yet to vote on a single abortion-related bill. Now, abortion rights advocates want the Democrats they helped elect to either put up or shut up.

“Our issue is not just an issue they can win on,” Signe Espinoza, the executive director of Planned Parenthood’s lobbying arm in Pennsylvania, said during a virtual news conference last month. “It’s an issue where livelihoods are on the line.”

Planned Parenthood and other reproductive rights organizations say more must be done to shore up abortion access, especially as surrounding states such as Ohio and West Virginia ban the procedure in most circumstances. A May report from Planned Parenthood estimates a 74% increase in abortion patients in Pennsylvania as a result of abortion bans in nearby states.

With a Democratic governor and a Democrat-controlled state House — and polling that shows a majority of Pennsylvanians support some form of abortion access — the chamber should have advanced some legislation to expand abortion access in the state, Espinoza said.

“The math ain’t math-ing,” Espinoza said in an interview Tuesday. “We don’t give folks a pass when it comes to this. We know that our health care can’t wait, particularly abortion care. It is timely, and it is lifesaving.”

Democrats had controlled the state House with a one-seat majority for the last several months, meaning every Democratic member needs to support a bill in order to pass the chamber. But for social issues, such as legislation to add gender and sexual orientation as a protected class under the state’s antidiscrimination law, Democrats have tapped Republicans from the southeast to vote with them when they were unable to get support from all 102 Democrats.

“I certainly understand the frustration,” said Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D., Montgomery), who worked for Planned Parenthood as a policy director before her election to the state Senate. “But I also understand that we have a really slim majority in the House that we fought for, well into the session cycle, and we are trying to hold it strong. … I know that for Democratic leadership overall, this is a really important issue, and they haven’t forgotten.”

That majority became a tie between Republican and Democratic members on Wednesday, when Sara Innamorato (D., Allegheny) resigned so she could run for another office. The House is out of session, and a special election to fill her seat, which is in a heavily Democratic district, will be held in September before the chamber is scheduled to reconvene.

House Democrats have already had to defend their majority: first when three vacancies at the start of the year put Democrats in the minority until a special election, and again when a Democratic member from Upper Darby resigned over allegations that he sexually harassed a lobbyist and a GOP lawmaker.

Whatever action House Democrats take would likely be symbolic because there’s no chance such a measure would pass both chambers. The GOP-controlled Senate is unlikely to consider any legislation that would expand abortion or contraceptive access in Pennsylvania.

But it’s still a direct way to show voters that their votes matter, Espinoza said.

“This is a time to fight back, to push harder, and to really champion this issue,” she added. “We want to show Pennsylvanians what can be possible, we want to show people that when we win, we can certainly keep our promises.”

A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) said in a statement that House Democrats were fortunate to have Democratic governors to help protect abortion access in the state.

“House Democrats have time and time again demonstrated our commitment to protecting a woman’s access to reproductive health, both by halting dangerous bills and constitutional amendments that would jeopardize that right and moving forward legislation focused on maternal and child health, workplace equity, and other protections,” said Beth Rementer, Bradford’s press secretary.

“As the majority, we, too, are in a strong position to both protect and improve reproductive health for Pennsylvanians and continue our work with advocates on these efforts,” Rementer added.

Rementer did not say what, if anything, they plan to do to improve abortion access in the state.

In addition, reproductive health groups want the state to stop sending money to antiabortion clinics known as “crisis pregnancy centers.” The controversial centers, which can pressure families out of getting an abortion, got a $2 million increase, or a 30% bump, in the stalled state budget.

Abortion access will continue to be a top issue for House Democrats. And top leaders have said they are working on bills that could be considered after the state budget is finalized.

House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) — who gained national attention last year for an impassioned speech about abortion rights — spoke last month at a White House conference of state legislators about the issue.

“While abortion is safe and legal, we have to continue to make sure that there’s bills that pass this chamber to make sure that all health care is not stripped away [under Republican control],” McClinton told The Inquirer last month. “We have to do the work necessary, in the building and outside the building, to grow our majority ... and make sure that voters know this is one of the issues on the ballot.”

At the White House event, McClinton said she heard from lawmakers in Democrat-controlled states such as New York about how lawmakers have shored up access to abortion. For example, she is interested in policies expanding tele-health protections to ensure that in-state doctors providing care out-of-state are protected.

Espinoza said Planned Parenthood has been working with several House Democrats on legislation they hope to see passed in the near future, such as a to-be-introduced bill to allow nurse practitioners and midwives to complete abortion procedures. Currently, state law requires a doctor conduct an abortion procedure.

Both McClinton and Espinoza highlighted House Bill 1140, which would require insurers to cover contraceptives, as a top priority. On July 13, the Federal Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill.