On Tuesday evening, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives advanced another unconstitutional abortion restriction opposed by medical experts.
House Bill 321 passed 117 – 76.
House Bill 321:
- Targets families with specific prenatal diagnosis for Down syndrome (for now) for deprivation of their constitutional rights within the borders of Pennsylvania
- Is blatantly unconstitutional
- Expands the provision of a sex-selection ban which is rooted in racist stereotypes about Asian and immigrant women
- Is being pushed through the Legislature despite strong opposition of medical experts and OB-GYNs
- Seeks to chill doctor-patient communications and incentivize doctors to ignore best practice of recommending appropriate prenatal screenings and tests
- Is not supported by organizations advocating for disability rights
- Has been called “an infuriating exploitation of people with Down syndrome as political pawns by Harrisburg politicians so eager to interfere with Pennsylvanians’ reproductive freedom” by a parent of a child with Down syndrome
So Who Voted For HB 321?
After robust debate, which you can review in this thread, HB 321 passed mostly along party lines: the majority of House Republican lawmakers voted for it and the majority of House Democrats voted against it.
Four Republicans courageously refused to target Pennsylvania families who receive prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome for deprivation of their rights and voted against HB 321.Thank you to Republican Reps. Todd Stephens, Frank Farry, Todd Polinchock, and Wendi Thomas for doing what’s right. It’s not easy to defy party pressure and do the right thing for constituents.
Fourteen Democrats crossed party lines to vote against the rights of families who receive prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome including Reps. Frank Burns, Anthony DeLuca, Michael Driscoll, John Galloway, Neal Goodman, William Kortz, Bridget Kosierowski, Anita Kulik, Mark Longietti, John Markosek, Robert Matzie, Joseph Petrarca, Harry Readshaw, Chris Sainato, and Pamela Snyder.
Every person who voted for HB 321 is white. All the people of color in the General Assembly voted against it.
Take Action Now
Now that it passed the Pennsylvania House, HB 321 will head to the state Senate. If it passes the Senate, it will go to the governor’s desk.
First, review the House votes here and contact your Representative to either thank them for voting against HB 321, or express your disappointment if they voted for another unconstitutional abortion restriction opposed by medical experts.
Then find your state Senator here, then contact him or her to urge them to oppose HB 321 in the Senate.
Contact Governor Tom Wolf and urge him to veto this bill if it gets to his desk.
Finally, spread the word! Please share this post and urge your friends to sign up for our action alerts.
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