Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have prohibited abortions on the basis of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. In addition, the bill would have prohibited abortions if they were sought because of the sex of the unborn child.
Wolf said in a statement, “this legislation is a restriction on women and medical professionals and interferes with women’s health care and the crucial decision-making between patients and their physicians.” He said the bill would not further the interests of women and families facing complex pregnancies. He also stated that the bill violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
The bill included exceptions for unborn children conceived due to rape or incest and abortions required for medical emergencies.