Abortion

Planned Parenthood believes every person should have access to the full range of reproductive health care services, including access to safe, legal abortion.

It is important that people have access to affordable birth control. At the same time, decisions about whether or when to have children must be left to a patient with the counsel of their doctor or health care provider — not to politicians.

In Pennsylvania

The Abortion Control Act of 1989 was spearheaded and signed into law by Governor Bob Casey (whose son is now our US Senator, Bob Casey, Jr.) and five of its provisions were immediately challenged in court by Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania. This landmark case came to be known as Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In the US Supreme Court, the majority decision upheld Roe v. Wade but also four of the five restrictions; striking down only the spousal notification clause of the law but upholding informed consent of the patient, parental consent for minors, the 24-hour waiting period, and some aspects of the reporting requirements for health care providers. Planned Parenthood v. Casey as well as Pennsylvania’s Abortion Control Act set the trend for abortion legislation across the United States.