Reproductive Rights

Timothy Hennessey 

Hennessey Voted For HB 321, Which He Also Cosponsored. According to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, “AN ACT Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in abortion, further providing for definitions and for medical consultation and judgment.” [Pennsylvania General Assembly-HB 321, 5/14/19]

• This Act Would Not Allow Abortions To Be Sought If The Fetus Received A Prenatal Diagnosis Of Down Syndrome. According to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, “No abortion which […] iii The abortion is sought because the unborn child receives a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.” [Pennsylvania General Assembly-HB 321, 5/14/19]
• Governor Wolf’s Spokesperson Said The Bill Was A “Trojan Horse: It Simply Disguises Another Attempt To Ban Abortions And Put Politicians Between A Woman And Her Doctor.” According to WHYY, “Governor Tom Wolf opposes HB 321, and has said he will veto it if the Senate passes it to him.  In a statement, a spokesman said the bill is ‘a Trojan horse: it simply disguises another attempt to ban abortions and put politicians between a woman and her doctor.’” [WHYY, 5/15/19]
• HB 321 Would Punish Doctors Who Performed Abortions In Violation Of The Bill. According to WHYY, “For the second year in a row, House lawmakers have voted for a bill that would punish doctors who perform abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis.  It isn’t intended to penalize the women who seek these abortions, but it carries hefty consequences for the doctors who might carry them out: a potential third-degree felony charge and suspension or revocation of the doctor’s medical license.” [WHYY, 5/15/19]

Hennessey Voted For HB 118 Which Would Require Either A Burial Or Cremation Of Abortion Remains. According to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, AN ACT Providing for the final disposition of fetal remains; and imposing penalties. […] This act shall be known and may be cited as the Final Disposition of Fetal Remains Act. […] Duties of health care facilities. --Except as provided under subsection (a), a health care facility that possesses fetal remains shall have the following duties: (1) Provide for the final disposition of the fetal remains in accordance with the burial and transit permit requirements under 28 Pa. Code Ch. 1 (relating to administration of vital records). (2) Cremate or inter the fetal remains.” [Pennsylvania General Assembly HB 118, 6/9/21]

• PolitiFact: HB 118’s Requirement Of Burying Or Cremating Fetal Remains Could Pass On Additional Costs To Women. According to PolitiFact, “A proposed law in Pennsylvania doesn’t mandate that women be fined for miscarrying. Instead, it requires that health care facilities bury or cremate fetal remains, regardless of how or when a pregnancy ends.   The costs of the new requirements — and fines for failing to comply — would be on the facilities. However, women’s health experts say that those costs would likely get passed along to patients or insurers in some form.” [PolitiFact, 6/11/21]
• ACLU: “Legislation Like HB 118 Creates Difficult, Vague, Conflicting, And Sometimes Impossible, New Regulations For Clinics To Comply With—All Of Which Would Ultimately Impede Women’s Access To Abortion.” According to the ACLU, “Legislation like HB 118 creates difficult, vague, conflicting, and sometimes impossible, new regulations for clinics to comply with—all of which would ultimately impede women’s access to abortion.” [ACLU, accessed 6/21/22]]

Opposed Exceptions for Rape and Incest

Hennessey Voted For SB 3, Which Would Criminalize Abortion With No Exceptions For Rape Or Incest. Hennessey voted for SB 3, which according to Governor Tom Wolf Press Release, “Governor Tom Wolf today denounced the movement of the ultra-conservative Senate Bill 3 in the state House Health Committee. This bill would criminalize a common health procedure for women used by doctors in consultation with their patients. Governor Wolf again vowed to veto the bill. ‘Once again, Harrisburg Republicans are moving the most extreme anti-choice legislation in the country that criminalizes abortion and leaves no exceptions for victims of rape or incest,’ Governor Wolf said. ‘I have met with women and medical professionals and understand how devastating and dangerous this bill would be for patients.  That’s why I will veto this attack on women.   Put simply, women’s health care decisions should be left up to women and their doctors, not politicians in Harrisburg.’” [SB 3, Votes, 12/12/17; Governor Tom Wolf Press Release, 12/4/17]

SB 106

Hennessey Voted For SB 106, Which Would Ask Voters To Amend The State Constitution To Declare That There Is No Right To Abortion In Pennsylvania. Hennessey voted for SB 106, which according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, “The Pennsylvania Senate and House passed a bill Friday that would ask voters to amend the state constitution to declare that there is no right to abortion in Pennsylvania, and no guarantee that taxpayer funding can be used for abortions. […] The bill — Senate bill 106 — must pass the legislature in two sessions and be publicly advertised before it goes to voters. That means next year is the earliest the amendment question could appear on the ballot.” [SB 106, Votes, 7/8/22; Philadelphia Inquirer, 7/8/22]