EASTON, Pa. — Northampton County Council will vote later this month on a resolution endorsing abortion access, after tabling a similar motion Thursday.
The resolution, drafted and introduced by County Council member Kelly Keegan, would declare Northampton County a “sanctuary county” for abortion access.
Having access to safe and legal abortion, Keegan wrote in the measure, is “critical to [a woman’s] physical, psychological and socio-economic well-being.”
“Abortion bans can trap people into inhumane situations,” she said. “We must support our state representatives who stand up for women to make our own private health decisions.”
After commissioners on both sides of the aisle voiced apprehension about the measure’s “sanctuary county” designation — a phrase without a specific legal meaning — the body voted to table it.
Even in its current form, the resolution would not have had any impact on abortion access in Northampton County, Keegan said, and was intended to show support rather than change policy.
“Yes, we have a certain job to do here at the county,” said Commissioner Jeff Warren, who spoke in support of the measure Thursday.
“But it's also important for us as public officials, as individuals who are elected or appointed to do the people’s business, to put forth public messages of support or opposition to issues facing this world that matter to our constituency.”
Keegan said she will reintroduce a revised version that endorses abortion access without declaring Northampton County a “sanctuary,” including by working with council president Lori Vargo Heffner.
Heffner also pushed for the resolution to include a provision effectively sending letters calling for preserving abortion access to Northampton County’s state and federal representatives.
The council is set to vote on the measure at their June 6 meeting.
