Pennsylvania Lawmakers Open Hearings on Anti-Abortion Bill
The national abortion debate shifted to a second state battleground Friday as a Pennsylvania House committee considered sweeping new restrictions.
Two days after the Florida Legislature refused to approve any new abortion limits during a special session, Pennsylvania lawmakers, meeting in a regular session, opened hearings on a wide-ranging anti-abortion bill.
Although the new limits are not expected to be passed by the House Judiciary Committee, the sponsor, Republican Rep. Stephen Freind, said he was certain he had the votes to force passage on the House floor and promised a showdown in the full chamber Oct. 24.
Freind attended the hearing Friday but said it was unnecessary because lawmakers’ minds are made up and a floor vote has been guaranteed by House leaders. Democratic Gov. Robert P. Casey, an abortion opponent, has said he would sign the bill if it passes.
Freind’s bill would ban abortions after the 24th week, require that a woman wait 24 hours before having an abortion and require that a married woman notify her spouse before undergoing the procedure. It also would impose a ban on so-called sex-selection abortions and ban the use of fetal tissue in research.
Abortion rights activists in Pennsylvania concede that the bills will likely pass later this month.
Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter
Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond. In your inbox three times per week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
