Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 20, 1994 TAG: 9403200012
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: HARRISBURG, PA. LENGTH: Short
Health centers from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia reported increases in the number of patients last week.
"We really pushed for people to come in before the law goes into effect," said Ann, an administrator of Harrisburg Reproductive Health Services who would not give her last name. She said the Camp Hill clinic was "swamped."
The Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act was written by state lawmakers opposed to the U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion in 1973. It requires women to receive counseling from a doctor about the risks of and alternatives to abortion, then wait a day before getting one. Single girls younger than 18 must get the permission of a parent or a judge.
When the current version of the law was passed in 1988, it was considered the strictest in the country. But several states enacted similar laws while Pennsylvania fought over the issue.
A 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Pennsylvania's law allowed states to place more restrictions on abortions. - Associated Press
by CNB