HARRISBURG – House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) issued a statement on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in Allegheny County Reproductive Health Center v. PA Department of Human Services. Cutler said, “Regardless of how one feels on the underlying subject matter, today’s decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court is another activist decision that has the court seeking to overstep its authority and change well-settled law.” He continues by stating that
Pennsylvania law already allows public funds to be used to pay for abortions in case of incest, rape or to protect the life of the mother. This decision, supported by only part of the seven-member court, eviscerates the past, well-established precedent of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and opens the door for tax dollars to pay for all elective abortions. Rep Cutler reiterates his frustration by this opinion’s continued narrowing of legislative standing to intervene in cases like this one. He makes clear that lawmakers are responsible for creating laws as a reflection of the voice of the people, and they have a vested interest when those laws are challenged in court. He claims, “Today, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court once again severely limited the Legislature’s voice in defending the laws they created through our constitutional process.”
REP. BRYAN CUTLER