At issue is a ruling this week from the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court. According to Associated Press, they ruled the state’s constitution guarantees a right to an abortion.
Maria Gallagher, executive director of the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, said the court ruled that Pennsylvania's long-standing ban on taxpayer-funded abortion is unconstitutional under the Pennsylvania Constitution.
"What that means is that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania wants to force taxpayers to pay for abortion, the taking of an innocent human life. We think that's wrong," Gallagher tells AFN.
Medicaid will now be used to fund abortions years after Planned Parent and other abortion clinics originally sued against their restrictions back in 2019.
Supporters of abortion applauded the ruling. For example, Reproductive Freedom for All called it a "major victory for Pennsylvanians and their reproductive freedom."
Gallagher described it as a tragic ruling.
"We know from research that when you have taxpayer funding of abortion, the abortion rate skyrockets, and we already have upwards of 34,000 abortions which take place in Pennsylvania every single year," states Gallagher. "This ruling would make that number possibly double, and we think that's outrageous."
Gallagher asks pro-lifers to pray for all those involved in this court fight.
"Please pray that we will be able to appeal the ruling to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and possibly achieve justice for pre-born babies and their mothers," says Gallagher.
She also asks for those who live in Pennsylvania to contact their state representative and state senator.
“Let them know that you oppose this ruling, and you want to make sure that our hard-earned tax dollars do not pay for abortion," states Gallagher.
If this ruling stands, Gallagher said that Pennsylvanians will have to mount a campaign for a constitutional amendment to ensure that there is no taxpayer-funded abortion in the Commonwealth.
"There is work to be done every single day in Pennsylvania and across the U.S. to save babies and to help mothers," says Gallagher. "That work will never end, and it doesn't matter what the courts rule, we'll still be fighting for those lives."
