PA Court Rules Medicaid Abortion Coverage Ban Unconstitutional

In a landmark 4-3 decision yesterday, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that the state’s long-standing ban on Medicaid coverage for abortions is unconstitutional.  The court’s majority determined that the Pennsylvania Constitution protects a fundamental right to “reproductive autonomy.”  By striking down the funding restriction, the court effectively declared that the state cannot deny public coverage for a medical procedure based on sex, or the choice to exercise reproductive rights. The ruling centered on a challenge to the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982, which prohibited the use of state funds for most abortions.  Judge Matthew Wolf, writing for the majority, stated that recognizing this fundamental right is necessary to protect residents from government attempts to “coerce reproductive choice.”  The court found the ban violated the state’s Equal Rights Amendment, and equal protection guarantees.