Social Policy

What You Need to Know about Reproductive Health in PA

This webinar examined the current status of some issues important to women. We discussed where legislation stands in PA related to abortion and reproductiverights, as well maternal health care including maternal health deserts, and the negative maternal health outcomes for women of color. We also looked at "Crisis Pregnancy Centers" - what they are and their work with pregnant women. Finally, we provided a list of tools and talking points for what you can do about the issues you care about. 

• Rep. Mary Jo Daley, PA-148, on current reproductive choice legislation in PA

• Rep. Morgan B. Cephas, PA-192, on maternal health outcomes for women of color and the Momnibus Act 

• Tara Murtha, from the Women’s Law Project, on crisis pregnancy centers 

• Susan Boser, LWVPA Director of Social Policy, on advocacy strategies

Click here to watch the webinar

Censorship in PA Schools

Click here to view our panel discussion on censorship in schools and school board elections with LWV Bucks County, Education Voters PA, and the Education Law center

Download Education Law Center materials here.

Download LWV Bucks County materials here.

Equal Rights Amendment

LWVPA supports the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and efforts to bring laws into compliance with the goals of the ERA.

View our webinar “LWVPA and the Equal Rights Amendment.” Sign up for the ERA Coalition Newsletter here. To get involved, please email susan.boser@palwv.org.

Gun Safety

The League of Women Voters PA believes that the proliferation of handguns and semiautomatic assault weapons in the United States is a major health and safety threat to its citizens. The League supports strong federal and state measures to limit the accessibility and regulate the ownership of these weapons by private citizens. The League supports regulating firearms for consumer safety, specifically to reduce the incidence of gun violence, gun accidents, and gun-assisted suicide.

Reproductive Choice

The most important battle over reproductive freedom in 29 years will soon take place at the Supreme Court. League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania affirms the constitutional right of privacy of individuals to make reproductive choices. Here are just a few steps you can take to support the freedom of choice — and with it, racial, economic, and sex-based equality:

• Follow Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Center, which challenges the constitutionality of Mississippi's ban on abortions after 15 weeks. League of Women Voters of the U.S. is an amicus partner in this case.

• Understand the implications. This map from Guttmacher Institute allows users to see the potential effects of a total ban, a 15-week ban and a 20-week ban on how far people seeking abortion care would have to drive to find care:

• Support reproductive health organizations and supporters of abortion rights (like Abortion Liberation Fund PA)

• Join your local or state League to learn about and promote reproductive rights in your community.

Education and Fair Funding in Schools

The League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania supports the school funding lawsuit because we believe that all children deserve access to high-quality public education. Right now, students in Pennsylvania are not getting the resources they need. Most schools are severely underfunded and we will continue to hold our leaders in Harrisburg accountable. Pennsylvania’s state share of K-12 education funding is one of the lowest in the country. The current funding system hits low-wealth school districts hardest, where most of our Black and Brown students live. We believe that all students across the state deserve more opportunities to learn and thrive. State officials in Harrisburg are directly responsible for our schools’ underfunding and their inadequate conditions. It’s the legislature’s constitutional duty to fix the system. This lawsuit could result in a new funding system, including more revenue for schools and better student outcomes.

Broadband

According to the FCC, over 800,000 state residents have no access to broadband connectivity. Many residents who supposedly have broadband service suffer from low connectivity speeds. Independent research conducted in 2018 revealed that median broadband speeds across most areas of the state fail to meet the FCC’s criteria to qualify as broadband. In fact, there were no counties in Pennsylvania where at least 50% of the population received “broadband” as defined by the FCC. The problem is even greater in rural sections of the state. Broadband speeds available in rural areas are substantially slower than those available in urban and suburban areas. It also appears that the discrepancy between rural reported speeds and rural actual speeds is growing. The rural parts of Pennsylvania are thus facing a significant digital divide. This divide is an issue of both equity and economics. Underserved communities need access to true broadband connectivity as a way to stimulate economic growth. Chattanooga, Tennessee, for example, experienced an economic boom after working to improve broadband access and speed for all. Efforts to bridge this divide require the collaboration of government, civic, and business organizations. Current laws that inhibit innovation and multiple business models need to be revised. New approaches need to be developed and new investments in infrastructure must be made. Since this is an issue that affects so many state residents, the League wants to have a voice in crafting policy related to broadband access. If you have opinions or insights related to this issue, we invite you to contact us to collaborate on this issue: Susan Boser, sboser12@gmail.comor Carol Wilkerson, carollwilkerson@gmail.com.

Statement on the Death Penalty

There has been a legal moratorium on executions in Pennsylvania since 2015, but our state has not conducted an actual execution since 1999. However, people can and still are being sentenced to death. This is true despite the fact that 11 people on Pennsylvania’s Death Row have been exonerated and released from prison, five of them since 2019. 

The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Shinn v. Ramirez raises the stakes for wrongfully-convicted defendants. In this case, the defendant received ineffective assistance of counsel at both the trial and appellate stages, but new lawyers later found persuasive evidence of his innocence. Despite the existence of this exculpatory evidence, the Court ruled that federal courts were barred from taking any action to remedy the situation. 

In other words, once wrongfully convicted, innocence isn’t enough to save the defendant sentenced to die. All Pennsylvanians who care about justice have to be concerned with this evidence of wrongful convictions producing a sentence of death that cannot be remedied if mistakes or wrong-doing are discovered.

In addition, studies now show that the existence of the death penalty may not provide effective deterrence against crime. If the death penalty doesn’t lower crime and can result in the execution of an innocent person, do we really want to see it reinstated?

The Pennsylvania League of Women Voters supports the abolition of the death penalty in our state.