WATCH: Shapiro-Davis Admin. Hosts Roundtable on Reproductive Health Care | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA - Last week, First Lady Lori Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, Second Lady Blayre Holmes Davis, Secretary of Human Services Dr. Val Arkoosh, Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen, and the Pennsylvania State Police held a roundtable discussion with health care providers, community leaders, and advocates to highlight the threats against patients and providers at reproductive health care clinics and discuss how the Shapiro-Davis Administration is investing in protections for women seeking reproductive health care.

Since taking office, the Shapiro-Davis Administration has invested nearly $343,000 through the Nonprofit Security Grant Fund to support increased safety measures at Planned Parenthood facilities.

"Every woman deserves access to reproductive health care and we need to ensure women across Pennsylvania can go to the doctor without having to worry about someone threatening or harassing them," said First Lady Shapiro. "I'm so grateful to the health care providers, clinic escorts, public safety professionals, and many others who work to ensure women are safe when they go to a clinic. Josh and I are committed to supporting their work and ensuring every Pennsylvanian has access to the health care they need to live a full, healthy life."

Reproductive health care clinics across the country have reported an increase in violence during the years leading up to and after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, including aggressive protestors who force their way inside of clinics, or use video and audio recording to harass patients, staff, volunteers, and escorts - without making clear where or how recordings will be used.

"Despite the Trump Administration's endless attacks on reproductive freedom, we've stepped up to protect that fundamental right. Right now, everyone should remember that abortion care remains safe and legal in Pennsylvania," said Lt. Governor Davis. "Governor Shapiro and I believe that every Pennsylvanian should have the freedom to make their own decisions about their body and whether or not they become a parent."

"It's hard to think that my daughter is growing up in a country where she could have fewer rights and freedoms than I've had, but I'm grateful that under our Administration, Pennsylvania is a place where we listen to women, protect reproductive rights, and invest in maternal health," said Second Lady Holmes Davis. "Everything this Administration is doing is designed to empower women to ensure they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families."

The Shapiro-Davis Administration convened this roundtable discussion with community leaders and advocates, including representatives from Planned Parenthood, the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, and the Women's Law Project, who shared firsthand experiences from working in reproductive health care.

"No one should be threatened, followed, intimidated or blocked from entering a health center simply because they are seeking health care," said Signe Espinoza, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Planned Parenthood Advocates. "This conversation centered on the people who experience this behavior firsthand: patients, staff, providers and the patient escorts who show up to help patients reach the care they need. We are grateful to Lieutenant Governor Davis, First Lady Shapiro, and Second Lady Holmes Davis for bringing these voices together and recognizing that protecting access to reproductive health care also means protecting the safety and dignity of everyone who walks through a health center's doors."

"As a clinic escort for the last two years, I talk to and walk with patients as they arrive and leave, and try to mitigate the harassment that they must endure," said Julie Barthold, a former physician and clinic escort with Planned Parenthood Southeastern PA. "These protestors post medically inaccurate signs, they intimidate, harass, mislead, redirect, and belittle the patients, and they target women of color in particular. Their behavior would be unacceptable and quashed in any other medical situation, and I do believe we need legislation to relieve the burden that Pennsylvanians face as they seek reproductive health care."

"We've had one protester who's received repeated warnings, followed up by two citations for harassment; we've had opposition who started showing up at the end of our workday to heckle staff as they walk to and from their cars, also filming them; and we've had opposition who block one of our two driveways in and out of the health center," said Jenny Danzis, Vice President of Facility Operations at Planned Parenthood Keystone. "We've always had protesters, but there's a new batch that have come with Trump's second term, and most of the vocal and aggressive protesters that we have are relatively new, so to mitigate their impact, last fiscal year, we spent $127,000 on security."

As part of the roundtable, participants also highlighted the federal government's impact on reproductive health care access and freedom. Their most significant concerns include recent attempts to weaken and outright repeal the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act which prohibits the attempted or intentional injury, intimidation, or interference with a person's ability to obtain or provide reproductive health services.

"For the Trump administration to pardon 23 [FACE Act] convictions, it's sending a clear message that it's open season, right?" said Deanna Dyer of the Women's Law Project. "That message has been heard loud and clear, not just by protesters, but folks who are intent on terrorizing people trying to access health care, and we've seen evidence of that, right here in Pennsylvania."

Governor Josh Shapiro also shared a new video, highlighting the impact of the conversation. Watch the full video here.

Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has repeatedly fought to protect Pennsylvanians' access to reproductive health care and the right for women to make decisions about their own bodies:

• In February 2023, within weeks of taking office, Governor Shapiro joined a Reproductive Freedom Alliance with 23 other governors to safeguard abortion access, protect abortion providers, and affirm abortion rights. The Governor maintained former-Governor Tom Wolf's executive order ensuring that non-Pennsylvania residents seeking abortion care in Pennsylvania can do so without fear of being arrested or detained at the request of another state.

• In August 2023, the Shapiro-Davis Administration announced it was ending the Commonwealth's contract with Real Alternatives, an organization that used deceptive practices to mislead women during an emotionally-vulnerable time. Under the Department of Human Services (DHS), Pennsylvania now operates the Women's Service Program, which uses a regional set up to support pregnant women in an empathetic, culturally-informed way no matter their background, identity, or income.

• In July 2024, the Governor reaffirmed his commitment to equitable access to reproductive health careand advised the Commonwealth Court that DHS would not defend the state law banning Medicaid coverage for most abortion services.
  • In April 2026, the Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of the Administration's position when it recognized a fundamental right to reproductive autonomy and found that under Pennsylvania law, a state ban on Medicaid coverage for most instances of abortion care is unconstitutional.

• In September 2024, the Shapiro-Davis Administration increased reimbursement rates paid to providers for both preventive and reproductive health care services. The Governor secured an increase in the rates DHS pays for family planning services, and further notched a win when DHS was able to increase Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates for abortion services to better reflect the cost of administering services and align Pennsylvania with what other states pay. Pennsylvania's reimbursement rates to providers hadn't seen a significant update since the early 1990s.

• In August 2025, Governor Shapiro joined a coalition of states in filing a petition with the FDA to defend the safety and efficacy of mifepristone and push for greater access.

• In May 2026, the Governor joined a multistate amicus brief urging reversal of a federal appeals court decision that restricted access to medication abortion - which accounts for over 60 percent of all abortions - by blocking the mailing of mifepristone prescriptions.

• In August 2026, Governor Shapiro sued the Trump Administration over its attempt to restrict federal funding for reproductive health care and family planning services.

The Shapiro-Davis Administration has also worked to support maternal and postpartum health care, investing more than $12.3 million in maternal and child health initiatives that are delivering real results, including increased postpartum depression screenings, improved access to care for women, and new grants specifically designed to improve the health of Pennsylvania mothers and babies. In March 2026, the Administration unveiled Pennsylvania's Maternal Health Strategic Action Plan to reduce inequities in prenatal and postpartum care, and parenting supports.

Despite attacks on Pennsylvanians' reproductive freedom, Governor Shapiro and Lt. Governor Davis will continue standing up against the overreach of the federal government and fight to ensure Pennsylvanians can safely access reproductive health care across the Commonwealth.

Watch the Governor's video highlighting the roundtable discussion here.