Legislation introduced to Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday aims to protect abortion in the city, even if it would at some point become restricted statewide.

City Councilman Bobby Wilson sponsored three related bills hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, deciding that Americans do not have a constitutional right to abortion. The decision clears the way for states to enact their own abortion laws — though Wilson said he wants to pass measures in Pittsburgh that ensure abortion remains accessible in the city even if Pennsylvania bans or restricts it.

If the commonwealth bans abortion, the first bill would instruct the city’s police department to “deprioritize enforcement of any abortion-related crime.”

The second measure would regulate “deceptive advertising by crisis pregnancy centers” in the city.

The third piece of legislation would attempt to shield abortion providers in Pittsburgh from out-of-state investigation or prosecution for providing abortions that are legal in Pennsylvania.

The third measure, he said, specifically aims to ensure that health care providers aren’t targeted for providing abortions to people who live in neighboring states where abortion access is restricted. Wilson cited as examples neighboring Ohio, where abortion is banned after six weeks, and West Virginia, where a total abortion ban is expected.

Greer Donley, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, said that about half of states are expected to ban abortions. Some states have already signaled that they are interested in prosecuting health care providers offering abortions to their residents in other states.

“Pittsburgh is going to be a haven for abortion care in the region,” she said. “That really leaves our abortion providers fairly vulnerable. It’s really up to us to try to do everything we can to protect these people who are providing vital care.”

The bill is the first of its kind to be proposed by a city, though similar measures have been passed elsewhere at the state level, Donley said.

“Anything you can do to make it easier for us to just be doctors and take care of patients and their families to make their private decisions is so incredibly appreciated,” said Dr. Grace Ferguson, a local obstetrician and gynecologist.

Wilson said he — along with co-sponsors Erika Strassburger and Corey O’Connor — are working with the city’s law department to ensure the bills are legal and would stand up to potential court challenges.

“These laws are crafted with preemption in mind,” Donley, the law professor, said. “That’s not to say there won’t be legal challenges on preemption grounds.”

The measure deprioritizing enforcement of abortion crimes if the state outlaws abortion, she said, is a “workaround” that the city previously used in decriminalizing marijuana. The language of the legislation, she said, calls on the fact that law enforcement “does have some discretion in how they prioritize their time and budget.”

Signe Espinoza, Pennsylvania executive director at Planned Parenthood, said that legislation was important in a state where crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics nine to one. There are 17 abortion clinics statewide, she said.

The measures, Strassburger said, offer protections for marginalized communities, who are most likely to be impacted by abortion restrictions, because they often don’t have resources to travel long distances for abortions.

“Local advocates are doing everything possible to make Pittsburgh a refuge for reproductive rights,” she said.

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