By Maria Gallagher, Legislative Director
As the catastrophic Coronavirus pandemic swept through Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood shifted its abortion operation into high gear.
A number of state lawmakers in Pennsylvania became incensed that Planned Parenthood continued to perform abortions in the Commonwealth in the midst of the campaign to stop the spread of the potent virus.
They called on Governor Tom Wolf to enforce his own order, which allowed ambulatory health care services to continue, but banned elective surgical procedures during the pandemic.
Fifty-five members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives signed a letter, demanding that the Governor put a stop to abortions during the viral outbreak.
They were especially outraged that Planned Parenthood was hoarding masks and other medical goods at a time when such supplies were so desperately needed by doctors and nurses trying to save COVID-19 patients.
State Senators also sent a letter to the Governor, calling on him to ensure that Planned Parenthood Keystone came into immediate compliance with the elective surgery ban.
In addition, in an overwhelming showing of solidarity, people throughout the Commonwealth signed our petition to Governor Wolf, demanding a halt to abortions at this time.
But Planned Parenthood Keystone went as far as possible in the opposite direction: it became a 100 percent abortion operation. It announced on its website that its locations were open only to do abortions.
Governors throughout the nation ordered that elective abortions cease as medical professionals scrambled to deal with the fallout from the Coronavirus. But Governor Wolf—a former Planned Parenthood clinic escort—continued to defend abortions as “essential services.”
Abortion centers in Pennsylvania are regulated as ambulatory surgical facilities under a 2011 law. The statute resulted from the tragic Kermit Gosnell case. The West Philadelphia abortionist Gosnell was convicted of murdering three newborn babies and of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of patient Karnamaya Mongar. As a result of that trailblazing law, as many as nine abortion facilities have shut their doors because they could not or would not meet basic health and safety standards.
The pandemic also produced a panic about medical rationing, a fear that hospitals would issue mandatory do-not-resuscitate orders to patients without their express permission. Pro-life advocates led the way in lobbying for the prevention of this lethal practice. The intense efforts paid off, with the federal government ensuring that Coronavirus patients would not be euthanized.
During this incredibly difficult time, the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation has been diligently working to protect the most vulnerable—from the baby nestled in her mother’s womb to the frail elderly. We have been your voice on the airwaves and in cyberspace, laboring to ensure that the right to life is not compromised.
Miracles can happen—even in the midst of a pandemic. It is through your unfailing commitment that such incredible breakthroughs can occur. We are striving to save not only this generation—but the many generations to come…generations that can be safeguarded from all manner of social ills through your amazing generosity.