PRIOR PASSAGE - NONE
PRINTER'S NO. 1286
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 956
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY J. WARD, PHILLIPS-HILL, MARTIN, GORDNER, GEBHARD,
STEFANO AND K. WARD, DECEMBER 15, 2021
REFERRED TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DECEMBER 15, 2021
A JOINT RESOLUTION
1 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Pennsylvania,
2 providing that there is no right to abortion or funding for
3 an abortion.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby resolves as follows:
6 Section 1. The following amendment to the Constitution of
7 Pennsylvania is proposed in accordance with Article XI:
8 That Article I be amended by adding a section to read:
9 § 28.1. Abortion.
10 The policy of Pennsylvania is to protect the life of every
11 unborn child from conception to birth, to the extent permitted
12 by the Federal Constitution. Nothing in this Constitution grants
13 or secures any right relating to abortion or the public funding
14 thereof. Nothing in this Constitution requires taxpayer funding
15 of abortion.
16 Section 2. (a) Upon the first passage by the General
17 Assembly of this proposed constitutional amendment, the
18 Secretary of the Commonwealth shall proceed immediately to
 1 comply with the advertising requirements of section 1 of Article
2 XI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania and shall transmit the
3 required advertisements to two newspapers in every county in
4 which such newspapers are published in sufficient time after
5 passage of this proposed constitutional amendment.
6 (b) Upon the second passage by the General Assembly of this
7 proposed constitutional amendment, the Secretary of the
8 Commonwealth shall proceed immediately to comply with the
9 advertising requirements of section 1 of Article XI of the
10 Constitution of Pennsylvania and shall transmit the required
11 advertisements to two newspapers in every county in which such
12 newspapers are published in sufficient time after passage of
13 this proposed constitutional amendment. The Secretary of the
14 Commonwealth shall submit this proposed constitutional amendment
15 to the qualified electors of this Commonwealth as a separate
16 ballot question at the first primary, general or municipal
17 election which meets the requirements of and is in conformance
18 with section 1 of Article XI of the Constitution of Pennsylvania
19 and which occurs at least three months after the proposed
20 constitutional amendment is passed by the General Assembly.
21 (c) Should the proposed constitutional amendment receive
22 second passage, the General Assembly has prepared the ballot
23 question to be placed on the ballot. It has done so because the
24 language of the amendment itself is short and clear, and any
25 rewording or commentary would only add confusion. Therefore, the
26 General Assembly directs the Secretary to place the proposed
27 constitutional amendment on the ballot in the following form:
28 Should the Pennsylvania constitution be amended to say
29 the following?
30 "The policy of Pennsylvania is to protect the life of
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1 every unborn child from conception to birth, to the
2 extent permitted by the Federal Constitution. Nothing in
3 this Constitution grants or secures any right relating to
4 abortion or the public funding thereof. Nothing in this
5 Constitution requires taxpayer funding of abortion."
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