Harrisburg, PA - On July 16, 2024, Governor Josh Shapiro released the following statement after the Shapiro Administration filed a notice(opens in a new tab) in Commonwealth Court in the case of Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services regarding its position in the case:

Today, my Administration is filing notice with Commonwealth Court reaffirming our commitment to equitable access to reproductive health care and advising that the Commonwealth will not defend the current state law banning Medicaid coverage for abortion services.

Pennsylvania’s Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex - and earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in Allegheny Reproductive Health Center v. Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that the current ban on Medicaid coverage for abortion services amounts to sex-based discrimination and sent this issue back to Commonwealth Court. Following this ruling, my Administration today filed notice stating that the current ban imposes a burden on women that is not sustainable, and therefore violates our State Constitution.

As Governor, I will always uphold our state’s Constitution and protect a woman’s right to make decisions over her own body and have the health care services she needs. My Administration looks forward to making our arguments in Court and is urging the Court to strike down this ban that denies Pennsylvanians access to health care solely because of their sex and clearly runs counter to the recent Supreme Court ruling.”