Frankel: No equality without reproductive freedom

Vows to continue to fight for abortion access in PA

PITTSBURGH, May 3 – Rep. Dan Frankel, Democratic chairman of the House Health Committee, released the following statement in response to reports that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“Access to abortion allows women to protect their health, their futures, their families. Access to abortion keeps women alive.

“Pennsylvania Democrats last held the majority of the House and Senate in 1993, so I have played defense on this issue for my entire career, working to fend off increasingly creative attempts to interfere with access to abortion. And we have been somewhat successful. Generally, Pennsylvanians can obtain a safe, legal abortion, although Republicans have been able to keep financial barriers in place to block poor women from making their own reproductive choices.

“A partial or full reversal of Roe will land hardest on our most vulnerable populations, as wrongheaded health policies so often do. Know that I will stand up for abortion rights every time, because there is no equality without reproductive freedom. I will continue to fight for Pennsylvanians’ rights to parent or not parent, not just by working to lift unreasonable restrictions already in place, but also by supporting and protecting the entire spectrum of reproductive healthcare AND our social safety net.”