Abortion protection measures approved by Pittsburgh council

Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday approved legislation that aims to preserve abortion access in Pittsburgh, even if it would be restricted at a state or national level.

City Councilman Bobby Wilson sponsored three related measures in response to the recent Supreme Court decision that determined Americans do not have a constitutional right to abortion and allowed states to craft their own abortion policies.

If the commonwealth or country would ban abortion, the first bill would instruct the city’s police department to deprioritize enforcement of crimes related to abortion.

The second measure regulates deceptive advertising by crisis pregnancy centers in the city.

The third aims to shield abortion providers in Pittsburgh from out-of-state investigation or prosecution for providing abortion services that are legal in Pennsylvania.

Several council members abstained from voting on the measure regulating deceptive advertising by crisis pregnancy centers in a preliminary vote last week, citing concerns about the legality of the measure.

In response to their concerns, Wilson on Tuesday introduced amendments to the bill that define “deceptive advertising” and provide an enforcement mechanism that includes referring criminal violations to the district attorney for prosecution.

Related:

• Pa. AG Josh Shapiro says his office will protect abortion providers, out-of-state patients from prosecution

• Allegheny County Council to consider measures to protect abortion

• City Council advances legislation to preserve abortion access in Pittsburgh

Pro-choice experts have voiced support for the measures, which, they say, are needed to ensure abortion remains accessible in the city in the event of restrictions at the state or federal level. They have also said that protecting abortion providers from out-of-state prosecution could be paramount, given that people in neighboring states where abortion is restricted may flock to Pittsburgh for such services.

Several people spoke out against the measures ahead of Tuesday’s vote, however, with many citing religious beliefs that oppose abortion.

Scott Moore of the Women’s Choice Network spoke in defense of crisis pregnancy centers, which, he said, offer a variety of important services, like ultrasounds, testing for sexually transmitted diseases and free baby necessities for new mothers.

“None of the services are fake,” he said.

Last week, a couple who operate a crisis pregnancy center in Mount Washington, threatened to sue if the measures passed.

All three measures were unanimously approved Tuesday. Councilman Ricky Burgess was not present for the vote.

Similar measures are also in front of Allegheny County Council.

This comes as Gov. Tom Wolf last week said he would not cooperate with requests from other states to arrest or detain anyone traveling to Pennsylvania for abortion services. The state legislature is looking to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to assert it does not protect abortion access.