Title
Authorizing a task force to advance recommendations and coordinate initiatives to ensure that all people in Philadelphia are able to exercise their fundamental right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.
Body
WHEREAS, Access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare is a human right; and
WHEREAS, In a radical political decision, the US Supreme Court stripped away long-standing constitutional protections for reproductive rights; and extremist lawmakers across the country are enacting a multitude of dangerous and cruel restrictions on fundamental bodily rights, and
WHEREAS, The state of Pennsylvania for decades has imposed medically unnecessary and stigmatizing barriers to abortion care, including a ban on insurance coverage of abortion care for patients using Medicaid, a mandatory waiting period, state scripted "counseling" designed to dissuade patients from terminating their pregnancies, a requirement for parental consent or a court order for minors seeking care, and many onerous regulations on providers that have no bearing on patient health or safety; and
WHEREAS, In the face of these looming threats, City Council and Mayor Parker have worked to allocate millions of additional dollars to help Philadelphians access reproductive care, but more needs to be done to ensure all can receive the healthcare and support they need; and
WHEREAS, The denial of reproductive care can have immense socioeconomic effects, particularly for those already facing economic difficulties, leading to significantly higher rates of bankruptcies, evictions, and court judgments; and
WHEREAS, The mortality rate among Black people who are pregnant is already four times higher than the rate for those who are white, with Black women making up 73% of pregnancy-related deaths in one recent study, and studies show that abortion bans only increase this unjust divide; and
WHEREAS, Comprehensive reproductive health care encompasses access to abortion and contraception, a...
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