Session: 2021-2022
ACLU-PA Position: Opposes
SB 956 is a proposed amendment to Pennsylvania’s constitution that would deny the right to abortion care in Pennsylvania—even in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions—if federal protections are weakened or overturned. SB 956 would also enshrine in the state constitution an existing law prohibiting public insurance coverage of abortion care. If approved by Pennsylvania voters, this amendment would pre-empt any state court from protecting abortion care in the absence of federal protections. Without the protection of state courts, abortion could be drastically restricted, criminalized, or banned entirely in Pennsylvania.
