HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Supreme Court's historic decision Friday to overturn nearly 50 years of precedent protecting the right to an abortion put a new focus on Pennsylvania's upcoming statewide elections.
Abortions in Pennsylvania remain legal and will stay legal in the state through the end of Democrat Gov. Tom Wolf's term in December 2022. A woman can get an abortion in the state up to 24 weeks of a pregnancy, according to regulations in Pennsylvania's 1,200-page Abortion Control Act. State House Republican leaders said in a statement Friday that discussions to change the state's abortion law are "already under way."
The future of abortion access in the state's GOP-controlled General Assembly is likely to fall to whoever holds the governor's veto pen. And in a 50-50-split U.S. Senate, whoever is chosen by voters in November to replace Republican Sen. Pat Toomey in Washington will likely have a major say on whether abortion rights are codified.
