Pennsylvania is Killing More Unborn Children in Abortions
It has been said that life is on the line in this year’s election. Some candidates are openly and brazenly promoting abortion as their ticket to winning public office. A number of these politicians offer no limits on abortion, viewing the so-called “right” of a woman to access abortion to be sacred.
In this topsy-turvy political world, where the inherent evil of abortion is lauded and applauded, it is incumbent upon advocates for life to raise questions about abortion culture and the industry—led by Planned Parenthood—that fuels it.
In my experience as the Executive Director and Legislative Director of a National Right to Life affiliate, I have found it helpful to raise a simple query: How many are too many abortions?
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where I live, the number of abortions increased sharply in 2022, according to figures released earlier this year by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The figures show 1,632 more abortions occurred in 2022 compared to 2021. In all, some 34,838 abortions occurred in 2022—a year in which the abortion industry openly campaigned to expand abortion in the Commonwealth.
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The increase in abortions in the Keystone State is truly alarming, and Big Abortion is responsible for the rise. The abortion industry has been quite vocal in its efforts to multiply abortions in Pennsylvania. In Pennsylvania, abortion totals would be much higher were it not for the many pregnancy resource centers that provide free counseling and material assistance for pregnant women facing challenging circumstances. Pennsylvania’s state-assisted Pregnancy and Parenting Support Services Program offered true alternatives and options to women in their time of need for an astounding 28 years.
Sadly, Governor Josh Shapiro ended funding for the award-winning program last year. With the elimination of Pennsylvania’s pregnancy support program, advocates for life are bracing for an increased upsurge in abortion statistics moving forward.
Interestingly enough, it appears that the abortion industry and its backers in the state legislature are not content with current abortion rates. They are proposing legislation that would make abortion totals in Pennsylvania climb even higher.
For instance, under current Pennsylvania law, protections are in place against abortions in the later stages of pregnancy under the landmark Abortion Control Act. But the pro-abortion caucus in the Pennsylvania legislature wants to remove this common-sense protection. Currently, babies of 24 weeks gestation and above are legally shielded from abortion. If that protection is wiped out, gruesome late-term abortions could become the norm in Pennsylvania.
However, the radical policy proposals do not end there. Abortion activists also want to eliminate parental consent for abortion. The parental consent portion of the Abortion Control Act has been credited with helping to cut abortion totals in half in the Commonwealth in the 1990s. The policy move comes despite widespread support for parental rights in Pennsylvania.
The abortion lobby is also pushing for an end to the 24-hour waiting period for abortion in Pennsylvania. That safeguard provides a critical reflection period, allowing a woman time to consult with her boyfriend, husband, parents, clergy members, and others who might support her decision to choose life for her child.
Also looming large is the campaign to require taxpayer funding for abortion in Pennsylvania. This campaign is being waged both in the courts and the state legislature in an alarming two-prong attack. Research has consistently shown that, when taxpayer funding for abortion occurs, abortion totals skyrocket.
Given the giant megaphone abortion activists seem to have in the media, fighting against abortion expansion can seem like a daunting prospect. The important thing to remember is that pro-life advocates have the truth on their side—the truth about how abortion ends an unrepeatable human life…the truth about how abortion leaves a woman grieving the loss of her precious child.
The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is mounting a state-of-the-art education campaign to combat the lies of the abortion industry. In cooperation with Pro-Life Partners, we are circulating several videos that proclaim the truth about motherhood, fatherhood, the dangers of the abortion drug, and other timely topics. These ads are being distributed on both social media and the radio and, if funding can be secured, they will also be aired on commercial television.
While abortion advocates want to fundamentally transform Pennsylvania law and the Commonwealth’s Constitution, our grassroots, county-based pro-life chapters are determined to do all they can to educate Pennsylvanians about the value of the Abortion Control Act. Once people recognize the benefits of our law, they are far less likely to support the campaign to dismantle it. By drawing attention to the many victims of abortion, we are laying the foundation to support our time-tested pro-life law.
In the end, there is no substitute for the power of the truth to impact public opinion.
LifeNews.com Note: Maria Gallagher is the Legislative Director and Political Action Committee Director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and she has written and reported for various broadcast and print media outlets, including National Public Radio, CBS Radio, and AP Radio.This originally appeared at the Society of St. Sebastian.
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