In Pennsylvania, state Supreme Court justices are up for retention vote every 10 years after they are first elected. Instead of pitting candidates against the judges, these retention elections provide a depoliticized way for voters to choose yes or no on whether they want judges to continue serving on the bench for another decade.
The proposed amendment would protect a person’s right to choose or refuse an abortion, contraception, or fertility care.
Nationally, there are over 2,600 crisis pregnancy centers, with close to 160 located in Pennsylvania. More than 75% of these centers are linked to religious, anti-abortion networks.
Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the bench, with Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht running for reelection in a “yes” or “no” retention vote.
The suit centers on a provision of the recently-passed mega bill , which enacts many of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy priorities.
“I just wish our leaders would see us—not as numbers, but as people with families, with dreams, with real health needs. Losing Medicaid isn’t just a policy change. For some of us, it’s everything.”
With employer-provided insurance no longer required to cover birth control, many in Pennsylvania are struggling to pay for necessary medical care. The Contraceptive Access for All Act aims to change that.
In Pennsylvania, about one in every five women of reproductive age is enrolled in Medicaid. Dozens of family planning clinics throughout the state could lose their Medicaid funding if Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” passes, leaving thousands of women without reproductive health care options.
A proposed bill from Democratic lawmakers would remove hurdles to getting an abortion in the state by taking away the currently mandated counseling and 24-hour waiting period requirements.
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.
Watch the video to find out what one state representative is trying to do to help.
