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An Ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending and supplementing the Allegheny County Code of Ordinances, Division 2, entitled "County Government Operations," through the creation of a new Chapter 290, entitled “Law Enforcement Prioritization.”
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WHEREAS, the Supreme Court of the United States’ Opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392, 597 U.S. ___ (2022), has overturned its prior decision in Roe v. Wade (1973) and its progeny; and
WHEREAS, this shift has radically altered the legal and healthcare landscapes, and has eliminated a Constitutional right that individuals under the age of 50 have held and become accustomed to for their entire lives; and
WHEREAS, it is the judgment of Council that the long-established right of individuals to control their own reproductive healthcare decision-making is no longer secure after the Court’s decision in Dobbs; and
WHEREAS, this lack of security is rendered even more immediate because, as of the date of introduction of this Ordinance, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is already considering a number of bills that would restrict the right to govern one’s own healthcare, in some cases imposing criminal penalties in the process:
· SB378, introduced on March 10, 2021, would impose criminal penalties on abortions performed after the detection of a fetal heartbeat (which can be detected as soon as six weeks after conception and well in advance of fetal viability), unless clinically necessary;
· HB904, introduced March 15, 2021, also criminalizing abortion performed after the detection of a fetal heartbeat;
· HB1500, criminalizing abortions performed based on prenatal detection of Down Syndrome, was passed by the PA House on June 8, 2021 and is currently pending before the PA Senate;
· SB21, introduced January 20, 2021, also criminalizing abortions performed based on either prenatal detection of Down Syndrome or based upon the gender of the unborn child...
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