Pittsburgh Councilor Bobby Wilson (D-North Side) has proposed a trio of bills to protect abortion rights in Pittsburgh following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that determined they are no longer constitutionally protected.
One of the three laws, if passed, would direct city police officers to “de-prioritize” enforcement of any anti-abortion laws, should Pennsylvania’s legislature adopt them in the future. Currently, abortions remain legal statewide prior to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and changes are unlikely while the state retains a Democratic governor.
Wilson’s other proposals would take effect within Pennsylvania's current legal framework. One seeks to regulate “deceptive advertising by crisis pregnancy centers" in the city, while the third would “shield abortion providers in the City of Pittsburgh from out-of-state investigation or prosecution for providing abortion care that is legal in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”
Multiple states have adopted laws restricting abortion that gain immediate power of enforcement from today’s ruling. Others appear set to follow.
In a statement accompanying the bills, Wilson maintains the court ruling has eliminated a constitutional right he intends to protect.
“Today, the Supreme Court of the United States took away the constitutional right of every American, every Pennsylvanian, every Pittsburgher to choose what happens to their body,” Wilson says. “I cannot accept that – that is why I introduced these three bills.”
