Authorizing a task force to advance recommendations and coordinate initiatives to ensure that all people in Philadelphia are able to exercise their fundamental right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.

Authorizing a task force to advance recommendations and coordinate initiatives to ensure that all people in Philadelphia are able to exercise their fundamental right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. WHEREAS, Access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare is a human right; and WHEREAS, In a radical political decision, the US Supreme Court stripped away long-standing constitutional protections for reproductive rights; and extremist lawmakers across the country are enacting a multitude of dangerous and cruel restrictions on fundamental bodily rights; and WHEREAS, The state of Pennsylvania for decades has imposed medically unnecessary and stigmatizing barriers to abortion care, including a ban on insurance coverage of abortion care for patients using Medicaid, a mandatory waiting period, state scripted “counseling” designed to dissuade patients from terminating their pregnancies, a requirement for parental consent or a court order for minors seeking care, and many onerous regulations on providers that have no bearing on patient health or safety; and WHEREAS, In the face of these looming threats, City Council and Mayor Parker have worked to allocate millions of additional dollars to help Philadelphians access reproductive care, but more needs to be done to ensure all can receive the healthcare and support they need; and WHEREAS, The denial of reproductive care can have immense socioeconomic effects, particularly for those already facing economic difficulties, le…