Pro-Choice Group Protests Washingtonville Woman's Prison Sentence

Pennsylvania members of NARAL Pro-Choice America delivered a petition to the State Senate this morning, hoping to ease restrictions on abortions.

The petition was issued in response to the sentencing of Pennsylvania nursing home aide, Jennifer Whalen, to 18 months in jail for ordering abortifacient pills online for her pregnant teenage daughter. Her daughter was later admitted to the hospital with severe abdominal pain, and Whalen admitted to giving her the abortifacient pills.

NARAL claims Whalen would not have had to take such extreme measures if Pennsylvania laws were not so strict.

“Instead of working to expand access to this constitutional right, the Commonwealth has decided to punish women facing desperate situations,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Whalen and her daughter would have had to travel is 150 miles and go through a mandatory waiting period, requiring them to either make the trip twice or pay for overnight accommodations, according to Karen Ritter, Vice-Chair of NARAL Pro-Choice America’s national board.

However pro-life supporters at the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation say that the Whalen case could be alleviated not by fewer restrictions on abortion, but by education and support for pregnant women. Micaiah Bilger is a spokeswoman for the Federation.

“When families like the Whalens are struggling financially and facing an unplanned pregnancy, they should not have to feel that abortion is their only option,” Bilger said.

“Women deserve easy access to pregnancy and parenting support for themselves and their families.”