At reproductive health care clinics across Pennsylvania, patient escorts are the first line of defense for abortion rights. These volunteers put themselves between patients walking into medical facilities and the intimidating, harassing, and sometimes threatening protestors who oppose reproductive services. Now, a state representative has introduced a bill to protect all patients from violence and intimidation when seeking care at health clinics.

She was 19 and pregnant, and thousands of miles from home, when she found out that her insurance wouldn’t cover an abortion. A similar scenario has happened to countless women in Pennsylvania, under a ban on Medicaid-covered abortions. Today, that ban is back in court.