State College Borough Council passes resolution to protect women’s access to health care
State College Borough Council didn’t need much time Monday night to debate the merits of protecting abortion rights, or women’s access to health care.
Council quickly and unanimously approved a resolution that formally decried the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and called on Congress to swiftly pass legislation to codify an individual’s right to choose. The resolution also pledged the borough to work with community groups to expand access to abortion, including transportation and sheltering services, as there are no such clinics in Centre County.
The resolution was largely symbolic, as it won’t directly change such laws impacting women. But it served as a reminder that the borough supports women’s rights, and the right to an abortion, and it adds to the chorus of other municipalities around the country passing similar resolutions, echoing supportive statements from the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
“I am very proud to introduce Resolution No. 1323 — the official name is the Declaration of the Borough of State College to Protect Access to Health Care — and proud in the name of those who came before us and those who came after us, to do what we can here in State College to protect our full freedom, especially our freedom of choice,” said Deanna Behring, one of three women on Borough Council.
The resolution was co-authored by Behring and Nalini Krishnankutty, who was appointed to council last month after the departure of Richard Biever, who moved to Kansas. Monday served as Krishnankutty’s first official regular council meeting.
The two women both took turns reading from the 1,000-word resolution. Among the points and arguments made:
Reproductive health decisions ought to be made between a patient and their doctor without government interference. The Supreme Court’s decision repealed an individual’s constitutional right to choose health care without the influence of state government, a right afforded by the 14th Amendment.
Some 36 million individuals will be impacted by abortion bans and restrictions in about two dozen states, with many low-income and marginalized Americans disparately affected.
A majority of Pennsylvania and U.S. voters do not support anti-abortion laws, as evidenced by a 2020 Franklin & Marshall poll that showed 83% of Pennsylvania residents believe abortion should be legal in all or certain cases and by a 2022 Gallup poll that shows 85% of Americans believe the same.
Council President Jesse Barlow, who previously called the SCOTUS decision “a shocking setback for women’s rights,” said Monday night he was “enthusiastic” about the resolution. Mayor Ezra Nanes, who does not have a vote on council, expressed a similar sentiment.
“And I would say if I had a vote, I would be voting for this,” he added.
