Abortion on demand

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives approved just before Christmas a proposed constitutional amendment that would strip protections for unborn babies. The bill would allow abortions through any stage of pregnancy for essentially any reason. While the measure leaves open the possibility for the state to regulate abortion after an unborn baby reaches viability, it emphasizes such protections could not override an abortionist’s opinion that an abortion is necessary to protect the physical or mental life of a pregnant woman.

The measure passed nearly along party lines, though two Democrats voted against the bill and two Republicans voted in favor. During the more than two-hour floor debate ahead of the vote, Republican Rep. Barb Gleim urged lawmakers to recognize that abortion is an issue of morality according to God’s design. Other lawmakers said the language of the proposal was excessively vague.

Current state law only protects babies after 24 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where the life of the mother may be at risk. Girls under the age of 18 must obtain parental consent or a judicial bypass to obtain an abortion, and women are required to have an in-person appointment to determine how far along the pregnancy is. Women must also participate in options counseling and wait 24 hours before getting an abortion.

Days before the vote, state Superior Court Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen sent a letter to the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus calling on representatives to vote against the bill. While black women make up about 14% of the women of childbearing age in the state, they account for more than 40% of abortions, she said. Dozens of pastors, physicians, and community leaders signed her letter.

The bill will now move to the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate for consideration and will need to be passed by both chambers in two consecutive sessions before going before voters.

Repeat offense

Police in the county of West Midlands, England, last month once again criminally charged Christian pro-life advocate Isabel Vaughan-Spruce for silently praying outside an abortion facility in Birmingham. She is the first person to be charged under the country’s law that prohibits anyone within 150 meters—roughly 500 feet—of an abortion facility from acting in a way that could be interpreted as influencing a person’s decision to obtain an abortion. While local municipalities have similar buffer zone laws, the national law implemented in 2024 applies across the country.

Authorities in Birmingham have arrested Vaughan-Spruce multiple times for violating the local ordinance by praying silently. In 2024, a court ordered the police to apologize and pay her $17,500 in damages after she was arrested twice in 2023. The new buffer zone law does not explicitly mention silent prayer, according to Alliance Defending Freedom International. In a statement to The Telegraph, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said the prosecution represents a departure from the countries’ shared values of freedom of expression.