The Problem

 

In Pennsylvania, Republican legislators have declared war on women’s reproductive rights and will not let an equal pay bill come to the floor. Since 1973, when the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Roe to ensure woman’s right to have an abortion, the PA state legislature has repeatedly proposed legislation to restrict abortion. In 1974, Republican lawmakers in PA introduced a series of bills (SB 1318, SB 443 and HB 760) to criminalize abortion and led Pennsylvania to become one of the leading states in the pro-life movement. Senate Bill 443, also known as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act which allows hospitals to refuse an abortion, is the only abortion law from that era that is still in effect. In 1989, the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act was signed into law, which mandated that a woman must receive counseling to discourage her from having the abortion 24 hours in advance to her abortion. This law is still in effect, after the United States Supreme Court upheld it. In recent history, there have been many votes on abortion and our current Republican state legislator voted with his Republican colleagues on virtually all of them:

​

 

●      House Bill 818 in 2014, which would ban insurance coverage for all abortions

○      Final Passage - Murt voted “YES”

 

●      House Bill 1948 in 2016, which would outlaw abortions after 20 weeks and criminalize a common method of abortion

○      Murt was an original co-sponsor of this restrictive bill

○      Motion of Constitutionality of the bill - Murt voted “YES”

○      Final Passage - Murt was ABSENT

 

●      Senate Bill 3 in 2017, which would outlaw ALL abortions after 20 weeks and criminalize a common method of abortion

○      Final Passage - Murt voted “YES”

​

 

In addition to the attacks on women’s reproductive rights, our legislature is not doing everything that it can do to ensure equal pay for equal work. In Pennsylvania, women are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to men. The annual wage gap amounts to about $10,507. The wage gap plunges even deeper for women of color. For women who work full time, all year-round, African American women get 68 cents, Latinas earn only 56 cents and Asian women are paid 81 cents for every dollar paid to men. The Pennsylvania Equal Pay Act tried to solve this problem, but there are too many counterproductive loopholes in the bill, which makes it ineffective. Also, the Pennsylvania Equal Pay Act has not been updated since 1967.

​

 

My Solution

 

A woman’s right to choose what she does with her body must be upheld. It is inexcusable for Republican legislators to regulate that personal choice. It is their choice. If elected I will join the House Committee on Health and help to draft legislation that ensures a woman’s choice for abortion. Regarding equal pay, I am disgusted at the fact that there is a huge wage gap. Women and men do the same work, so they should get the same pay. I will join my colleagues in the PA House in drafting a real equal pay bill that has no loopholes.

 

References

 

DerMovsesian, Albert J. “Democratic Candidate in 152nd Asks: What Does Murt Stand for?” The

Intelligencer, 29 June 2016, www.theintell.com/b03640f8-9de1-5dea-a547-6a709cce9ce5.html.

 

“Equal Pay.” Women's Law Project, www.womenslawproject.org/equal-pay/.

 

Legislative Data Processing Center. “Bill History of House Bill 1948 .” Pennsylvania General

Assembly, www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2015&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1948.

 

Legislative Data Processing Center. “Bill History of House Bill 818 .” Pennsylvania General

Assembly,

www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2013&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=818.

 

Legislative Data Processing Center. “Bill History of Senate Bill 3 .” Pennsylvania General

Assembly,

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2017&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=3.

 

Legislative Data Processing Center. “Bill History of Senate Bill 241 .” Pennsylvania General

Assembly,

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/bill_history.cfm?syear=2017&sind=0&body=S&type=B&bn=241.

 

Nossiff, Rosemary. “Before Roe: Abortion Policy in the States.” Before Roe: Abortion Policy in

the States, Temple University Press, 2001.

“PA Abortion Ban Bills: SB3 & HB 77.” Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates,

www.plannedparenthoodpa.org/sb3/.

 

“PA Abortion Control Act.” Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, Planned

Parenthood, www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-southeastern-pennsylvania/patients/pa-abortion-control-act.

 

“Pennsylvania's Abortion Control Act Becomes Law.” Legal Solutions Blog, 18 Nov. 2011,

www.blog.legalsolutions.thomsonreuters.com/legal-research/today-in-1989-pennsylvanias-abortion-control-act-becomes-law/.