Reproductive Freedom

Since 1920, the ACLU has recognized that personal privacy and reproductive freedom are among our most important constitutional liberties.

Reproductive Freedom

What you need to know

Post-Roe

How will an America without Roe v. Wade impact Pennsylvania?

The decision to have an abortion is deeply personal, and is best left to a person, their family, and their doctor. The ACLU was the first national organization to argue for abortion rights before the Supreme Court, and has been a principal defender of those rights since 1973, when the Court recognized the right to abortion in Roe v. Wade.

In spite of the constitutional guarantee to safe, legal abortion care, extremists in the Pennsylvania legislature have worked to restrict abortion services out of existence in the state. Of course, these restrictions fall disproportionately on low-income people, people of color, young people and people in rural areas. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, the ACLU of Pennsylvania works to ensure that everyone can make the best decision for themselves and for their family about whether and when to have a child, without undue interference by politicians.

Abortion Access in Pennsylvania

Although abortion is legal in Pennsylvania, it can be very difficult to access – and that’s by design. For years, Pennsylvania politicians have led the way in enacting restrictions on abortion. These restrictions have nothing to do with patient health and safety; they are part of a coordinated effort to push abortion care out of reach for as many people as possible.

Clara Bell Duvall Project

The Clara Bell Duvall Reproductive Freedom Project is a special project of the ACLU of Pennsylvania that focuses on reproductive health and rights.

Abortion is one of the most common medical procedures performed today, and it’s incredibly safe. But Clara Bell Duvall’s story reminds us what’s at stake when abortion is pushed out of reach. She died from complications of an illegal abortion in Pittsburgh in 1929, leaving behind five young children who grew up without a mother. One of her children, Linn Duvall Harwell, founded the Clara Bell Duvall Education Fund in 1979 to ensure that other families would not suffer as hers did. Read more about the Clara Bell Duvall Reproductive Freedom Project.

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A picture of Clara Bell Duval

The Latest

Podcast
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Getting Ready for the Challenges Ahead

Donald Trump will be the next president of the United States. And based on his first turn as president and his rhetoric in the campaign, we know that he and his cronies are a clear and present danger to our most basic freedoms and to democracy itself.
News & Commentary
man holding sign that reads "Immigrants Make America Great"

Eyes Wide Open About the Challenges Ahead

The ACLU of Pennsylvania is prepared for a second Trump administration, which is a clear and present danger to civil liberties, to communities we serve, and to democracy itself.
Press Release
PA capitol

ACLU-PA Statement on State House Passage of Bill to Expand Access to Contraception

HARRISBURG - The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed legislation requiring insurance companies to cover contraception, at no cost to consumers.
Issue Areas: Reproductive Freedom
News & Commentary
End Violence Against Sex Workers

It’s time to end violence against sex workers. That means decriminalizing the industry.

As the ACLU of Pennsylvania continues working to decriminalize sex work, we want to take a moment to acknowledge International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.
Court Case
Oct 13, 2022

Kuhar v. City of Philadelphia and Abortion Liberation Fund

In August 2022, two Philadelphia residents sued the city and, later, the Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania (ALF-PA) challenging a donation of $500,000 that the city made to ALF-PA.
Court Case
Mar 10, 2020

Harrington v. UPMC and Allegheny County

On March 11, 2020, the Law Offices of Timothy P. O’Brien and the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a class action lawsuit against the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Allegheny County on behalf of Cherell Harrington, a resident of the county.
Court Case
Dec 19, 2016

Seitz v. Allegheny County

Court Case
Oct 28, 2010

Mort v. Lawrence County Children and Youth Services, et al.