Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court has ruled that the state Constitution guarantees a right to abortion. The decision overturns a decades-long law that banned using Medicaid funds for abortion costs.
The ruling marks a significant victory for Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics that sued Pennsylvania in 2019 over Medicaid funding limitations.
Gov. Josh Shapiro opposed the ban, saying "a woman’s ability to access reproductive care should never be determined by her income."
Shapiro's likely challenger in the November election, Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, said the court's decision "to force our tax dollars to pay for abortions is not only misguided, it is immoral."
Attorney General Dave Sunday, who is a Republican, said his office is reviewing the decision and hasn't decided whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Apr 21, 2026
