3
A PENNSYLVANIA PUZZLE
Pennsylvania is an anomaly. Given its northeastern location, and its support of Democratic
candidates in the last three presidential elections, it might be tempting to treat the Keystone State as part
of the greater northeastern region whose voters trend generally “blue.” This is a problematic
generalization, however. Pennsylvania is actually a conservative standout among its most similarly
populated neighbors, at least regarding its abortion policy. This is especially apparent in the social
conservatism of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, where 52 percent of Democratic state representatives
are “pro-life,” which is a stark departure from national, and northeastern, party trends.
Pennsylvania is the only northeastern state whose homicide statutes afford comprehensive
protection of the unborn against violence during all stages of pregnancy (18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. §§ 2601
to 2609, 1998). In addition, the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act, which requires parental notification
for minors seeking an abortion, a mandatory 24-hour delay on all abortions, and a comprehensive state
reporting system of all abortion doctors and facilities, is perhaps the most vigorous of all state-level
regulatory measures. (Michigan, perhaps due to its mid-western location, has a similar degree of
restrictions on access to abortion. Ohio is close to Pennsylvania and Michigan in its abortion restriction
policies, while New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, reflecting the more progressive views of
northeastern culture, have little to no restriction on access.)
Given that 71 percent of Pennsylvania voters claim to favor some degree of restriction on
abortion (ranging from parental notification to a ban on late-term abortions), and 24 percent favor the
outright banning of reproductive choices entirely, these conservative policies should perhaps not be
surprising (Quinnipiac University Poll, June 5, 2002). However, despite the strong socially conservative
indicators among much of the Pennsylvania public regarding abortion rights, it is somewhat doubtful that
Convention