Pennsylvania passes ban on aborting baby with Down Syndrome
The Pennsylvania state House has now passed a bill to ban abortions on babies with Down syndrome. After passing with a 139-56 vote, the bill will now move on to the state Senate.
According to LifeNews, current Pennsylvania law allows a woman to “have an abortion prior to 24 weeks for any reason except sex selection. State House Bill 2050 would expand that exception to include a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.”
Rep. Judy Ward, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, said the bill marks a turning point in the future for babies with Down syndrome.
“The future has never been brighter for babies born with Down syndrome,” she said. “We’ve learned too much to accept that Down syndrome citizens should be considered anything less than full members of the community. They deserve respect and the protection of our laws.”
Only Indiana, Louisiana, Ohio and North Dakota have similar laws.
The Daily Wire noted that parents of Down syndrome children were some of the bill’s biggest proponents. Speaking in the state Capitol just last month was long-distance swimmer and disability rights advocate Karen Gaffney, who also has Down syndrome.
The ACLU denounced the measure as “unconstitutional.”
“It utilizes a very difficult decision for some people, and a very complex one, to exploit the people that it affects, as a wedge to try to legislate abortion control,” said ACLU Pennsylvania spokesperson Elizabeth Randol in a statement.