Western Pa. reacts to Roe v. Wade decision

PITTSBURGH — Friday was Angel Taylor’s day off work, and she arose around 11 a.m. after a long shift the night before to check Twitter. Within an hour, she called her gynecologist to discuss long-term contraception.

“I’m angry and I'm scared,” said 26-year-old Taylor at a rally for abortion rights in downtown Pittsburgh Friday evening.

Taylor said she plans to prevent pregnancy using an intrauterine device, or IUD, instead of the birth control pills she’s taken for the better part of a decade amid fears that access to contraception will soon be restricted alongside abortion.

She joined hundreds of protesters Friday on the steps of Pittsburgh’s City-County Building to publicly mourn and lambaste the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to reverse 1973’s landmark Roe v. Wade and dismantle federally protected abortion rights.

Organized by the Pittsburgh Women's March, the rally included remarks from western Pennsylvania leaders who shared both anger and calls to action. Many demanded an abolished filibuster and an expanded Supreme Court.

Jessica Semler, an Etna councilwoman in Allegheny County, shared her own abortion story and called the Supreme Court’s decision “shameful,” emphasizing the value of addressing abortion-related discrimination and reclaiming bodily autonomy for its own sake. People shouldn’t need a tragic reason to justify their decision to terminate an unplanned pregnancy, she said.

“I don’t have a ‘good’ abortion story. I was not raped, it was not medically necessary,” she said. “I simply was pregnant and didn’t want to be. My life was not at risk, but my abortion still saved my life. And abortion saves lives every single day.”

What the ruling means for Pennsylvania

The federal ruling Friday stunned supporters of reproductive rights less than two months after a leaked draft of the Court’s decision was made public, while anti-abortion activists welcomed a “post-Roe America.”

For now, Pennsylvanians seeking an abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy (and longer in certain circumstances) are still legally able to do so, although only about 20% of Pennsylvania counties have abortion services. To have the procedure, Pennsylvanians are required to have a medical consultation and wait 24 hours. Minors are required to have parental permission.

The Supreme Court’s Friday decision gives state legislatures and governors the power to secure, limit or ban abortion rights.

Abortion has been legal under Keystone State law for decades, and Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf continues to pledge to veto any bills restricting abortion in the state. In November, though, Wolf will be replaced by either Democrat Josh Shapiro, a supporter of abortion rights, or Republican Doug Mastriano, who has strongly indicated support for rollbacks on abortion access and, in May, called abortion “science-denying genocide.”

More:Overturning Roe v. Wade could mean big changes for Pa. next year

“Today, I think about my wife, my sister and the millions of women across Pennsylvania who have less rights now than they did when they woke up this morning,” Austin Davis, the Democratic nominee for Lt. Gov. of Pennsylvania, told the crowd Friday. Davis reaffirmed Shapiro's stance against any statewide abortion bans.

Abortion providers bracing for new demand

Abortion providers in Pittsburgh are preparing for more patients seeking reproductive health care from neighboring states with more restrictive laws like Ohio and West Virginia.

Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania is increasing staff and preparing for a higher demand for services. West Virginia’s only abortion clinic on Friday ceased performing abortions; providers may be convicted of a felony for performing abortions under state law.

Sydney Etheredge, Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania president and CEO, said the organization expects an unprecedented number of out-of-state patients seeking an abortion.

“These bans will not protect babies, they will not protect women, they will not protect women of color, they won’t protect Black women or Black babies,” said Etheredge. “All they will do is cause harm and turn a safe procedure into something that is dangerous.”

“Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania wants to let those who are seeking an abortion know that we are here for you,” she said in a statement earlier Friday. “Your decision to control your lives, bodies, and futures should be yours, and yours alone, and we will not compromise on this.“

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bobby Wilson on Friday submitted a package of bills that would instruct the city’s police and other law enforcement to “de-prioritize enforcement of any abortion-related crime” in the event Pennsylvania does criminalize abortion. Two other bills would crack down on deceptive anti-abortion advertising by crisis pregnancy centers in the city and help shield Pittsburgh abortion providers from out-of-state investigation or prosecution for care provided legally in Pennsylvania.

“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 said. “I cannot accept that – that is why I introduced these three bills. Now, let’s stand up, unite, and fight to get back our right to choose.”

More:Roe v. Wade is overturned, here's what abortion laws look like in each state

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey called the reversal “an attack on the civil and human rights of our entire country,” while echoing Etheredge's comments.

“Abortion is healthcare and denying the right to bodily autonomy of women, trans men, non-binary and disabled people in America is stripping them of their fundamental right to privacy," Gainey said. "Abortion is still legal in Pennsylvania and I will do whatever it takes to protect and defend that right in Pittsburgh and across our entire Commonwealth.”

“If you wanna come (to Pittsburgh) and get an abortion, come on,” Gainey added at Friday’s rally.

Other protesters pointed to polls that suggest most Americans support safe and legal abortions. In one recent Pew Research Center survey, 61% of U.S. adults said abortion should be legal all or most of the time, while 37% said it should be illegal all or most of the time.

'Critical to equity and economic justice'

Because no abortion clinics exist in Beaver County, residents must drive 30-plus miles away, or more, to access care. The abortion clinic closest to southern Beaver County is Planned Parenthood in Moon Township.

More:Protestors gather at Beaver County Courthouse to advocate for abortion rights

People of color are likely to be hit hardest by the rollback, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black women are at a significantly higher risk of dying from childbirth complications than white women, and many ralliers Friday worried pregnancy-related deaths will sharply increase as a result of the court's decision.

The right to abortion is “critical to equity and economic justice,” said Marc Stier, director of the PA Budget and Policy Center. Not only does banning abortion limit the ability of millions to determine their life’s trajectory, but it would particularly harm low-income people, he said. This could lead to higher poverty rates and unemployment for America’s most vulnerable.

“People with higher incomes already have greater access to abortion and can travel to other states or, if necessary, foreign countries where abortion is available,” Stier said. “Those who are struggling financially, who are young, who are LGBTQ, or who are people of color have less access to the reproductive health care they urgently need. These disparities in access to vital health care will be greatly exacerbated if abortion is made illegal.”

Conservatives, anti-abortion champions celebrate decision

Others publicly cheered the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Friday.

Bishop David Zubik with the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh said he and others who have “worked and prayed to protect unborn children” are profoundly grateful for the reversal. Zubik said the Diocese supports women with “crisis pregnancies” and young families struggling to raise children. He noted Catholic charities that offer medical and social assistance to families, such as Walking with Moms in Need and Project Rachel.

“We pray for many lives to be saved,” Zubik said. “It is time for a healthier national conversation about pregnancy and parenting, one that recognizes the real difficulties and creates ways to support pregnant women and to welcome children."

Republican state Rep. Aaron Bernstine of Lawrence County said: “More babies will be safe today because of the Supreme Court ruling.”

He said the court’s ruling will allow the matter of abortion to be decided by the states. When asked about the idea of people conducting illegal abortions or abandoning babies after birth, Bernstine said those people should be charged and convicted to the fullest extent of the law.

U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16, Butler, called the ruling a “major victory.”

“All little boys and little girls deserve a chance at life, and this ruling ensures they will get that chance,” he said. “The right to life is not just for some of us. It is for all of us.”

The Democratic nominee challenging Kelly in the Nov. 8 election, Dan Pastore, condemned the Supreme Court’s decision.

“Politicians should not be able to dictate what women can and cannot do with their bodies,” he said. “The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is appalling, but it will not stop me from fighting every day for women to make their own healthcare decisions when I’m in Congress.”

Reporter Nicholas Vercilla contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Western Pa. reacts to Roe v. Wade decision