HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference today praised members of the state House who voted in favor of Rep. Kate Klunk’s House Bill 1500, also known as the Down Syndrome Protection Act. It would prohibit an abortion based solely on the diagnosis of a possible Down syndrome.
The vote went 120-83, with most Republicans and a handful of pro-life Democrats voting in support.
“This critical legislation seeks to protect children from being killed simply because they have been diagnosed with Down syndrome,” said Eric Failing, the Executive Director of the PCC. “Pennsylvania cannot claim to be a champion for the rights of the disabled if our laws allow them to be killed solely because of their disability.”
Failing offered strong praise as well for the hard work put in by Klunk on this measure.
“Rep. Klunk is the essence of what the PA Pro-Life Caucus is all about,” he said. “She was the driving force behind this legislation in the last session and picked up right where she left off after Governor Wolf vetoed that bill. We can’t control what the governor does, but he’s not going to be in office forever. We have to keep working to preserve life.”