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Authorizing the Committee of Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings examining the current state of Philadelphia’s reproductive health care system, the current federal landscape affecting reproductive policy, and the City’s response to protect reproductive freedom.
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WHEREAS, Reproductive health care is care related to physical, mental and social well-being in matters relating to the reproductive system, functions and processes. Reproductive health implies that people are able to have a safe sex life, and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so; and
WHEREAS, Reproductive health care includes but isn’t limited to the following services: contraception, preconception screening and counseling, maternal and pregnancy related care, STI prevention and treatment, fertility and infertility treatment, breast and genital cancer prevention and treatment, perimenopause, menopause, menstruation and menstruation related conditions, hysterectomy, mammography, pregnancy related nutrition, and postpartum care; and
WHEREAS, A comprehensive review of Philadelphia’s reproductive health care system is necessary to understand the impacts of recent local funding cuts, and federal policy changes on communities in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Amid recent federal changes, the Trump Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” reclassifies select graduate programs by removing their professional status, disproportionately affects fields that provide reproductive care and are predominantly led by women, like nursing where women account for 88% of registered nurses; and
WHEREAS, Removing professional status from fields that study and provide reproductive health care limits access to education, training and certifying, which increases the risk of understaffing in critical reproductive health care roles and reinforce gender-based discrimination; and
WHEREAS, Finances and job stability are imperative to establish effective reproductive health care in the United States as many residents require employment benefits for their health insurance and economic insecurity limits access to care; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia residents experience alarming reproductive health challenges in accessing abortion care related to financial challenges, an increase in patient volume, provider safety concerns and data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health shows that following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, abortions increased to 35,412 statewide in 2023, with more than 30% occurring in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia has alarming reproductive health challenges and outcomes that impact women and birthing people-including high maternal mortality rates, severe maternal morbidity, funding cuts, clinic and hospital closures, and racial disparities; and
WHEREAS, The maternal mortality rate in Philadelphia is almost 40% higher than the national average with a mortality rate of 8.1 per 1,000 live births where the national mortality rate is at 5.8 per 1,000 live births, however Black women are at a disproportionate disadvantage in Philadelphia while only making up 43% of births but account for 73% of pregnancy related deaths between 2013 and 2018; and
WHEREAS, Among the 110 mothers lost between 2013 and 2018, 1 in 5 had a documented history of domestic violence, undermining the need to examine the intersection between domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and reproductive health outcomes; and
WHEREAS, At least 13 of Philadelphia’s 19 hospitals stopped delivering babies, at least nine reproductive/abortion care facilities have closed in Pennsylvania since 2012, while 17 Planned Parenthood facilities have closed since 2010; and
WHEREAS, Despite the closure of clinics and birth centers, Temple Women and Families Hospital has expanded their services to address poor maternal and reproductive health outcomes with the opening of their new family medical center offering pregnancy, maternity, obstetrics and reproductive health services through a family centered approach; and
WHEREAS, State legislation HB 1957, which passed the Pennsylvania House on December 17, 2025, and would allow Pennsylvania residents to add a Reproductive Rights Amendment to the state constitution, representing a significant advancement in protecting and expanding reproductive rights and shaping the legal framework governing reproductive health care access for Philadelphians; and
WHEREAS, Reproductive freedom is fundamental to the residents of Philadelphia, and the City must evaluate current barriers to accessing care, understand the impact of reproductive health facility closures, support, and amplify state legislative advancements that strengthen and safeguard reproductive rights, examine best practices from neighboring cities, and develop a coordinated response in collaboration with providers, partners, advocates, and the community; and
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby authorizes the Committee on Public Health and Human Services to hold hearings examining the current state of Philadelphia’s reproductive health care system, the current federal landscape affecting reproductive policy, and the City’s response to protect reproductive freedom.
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