Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that abortion providers can challenge the state’s decades-old Medicaid coverage ban on abortion. Studies show that when policymakers place severe restrictions on Medicaid coverage of abortion, it forces one in four poor women seeking an abortion to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Studies also show that these policies also push women deeper into poverty.

Below are statements from Nourbese Flint, President of All* Above All, and Beulah Osueke, Interim Executive Director of New Voices for Reproductive Justice. 

Nourbese Flint, President of All* Above All: 

“Today’s decision means we are one step closer to a future where no Pennsylvanian will be denied abortion coverage just because they’re working to make ends meet. With abortion care increasingly out of reach, particularly for people working to make ends meet, this is a crucial step to ensuring that the amount of money someone has doesn’t determine their options for care. Just a few short months ago, Pennsylvania voters took to the polls to reject anti-abortion judges – this Supreme Court decision shows the power of those results. We applaud the tireless work of advocates and abortion providers across the state who have put us one step closer to making abortion affordable, accessible, and available for all who need it.” 

Beulah Osueke, Interim Executive Director, New Voices for Reproductive Justice:  

“For too long, Pennsylvania’s abortion coverage ban denied people the freedom to make the most important decisions in our lives without political interference. Today, the court stood firmly on the side of reproductive rights. This decision comes as a result of years of advocacy and organizing pushing our elected officials to lift discriminatory and antiquated laws that fall hardest on communities of color in Pennsylvania. While the legal right to abortion does not equate to meaningful abortion access that is reproductive justice, as this decision still denies Medicaid funding for an abortion, this decision is a powerful step in the right direction to protecting abortion care in our state. Today we celebrate the end of a decades-long injustice and carry on in our work to expand abortion access for Pennsylvanians across the state.”