Philadelphia City Council Repeals Controversial Proclamation

Responding to complaints from the public and from Roman Catholic Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Philadelphia City Council has repealed a proclamation that declared Philadelphia to be a "pro-choice" city.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer in an article posted on the Internet, the proclamation was passed a week ago under the sponsorship of Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. The proclamation said that the city "supports women's reproductive rights and freedom" and defended a woman's right to an abortion.

The Council passed the proclamation a week ago on a close 9-8 vote. The vote to end the proclamation was 13-4. Five Council members changed their votes after the criticism of the proclamation.

The proclamation was simply that: a proclamation. It had no bearing on city policy, but that didn't stop the criticism. Council discussion of the issue took up a large amount of time as members debated what to do in response to the public and the Cardinal.

One Council member regretted his action in voting for the proclamation a week earlier. The Inquirer quoted Councilman Jim Kenney as saying, "I'm angry with myself for not abstaining. It's not something I think we should have forced on the public at large." Although a majority of the members are in favor of abortion rights, there was also the feeling that the Council should not get involved in a matter that is not only controversial, but also not within the jurisdiction of the city.

Opposing the original proclamation was Councilman Frank Rizzo, who sponsored the repeal. He told the Inquirer, "I think that we should stay away from issues like this that cause division in our city." He felt that the episode had embarrassed Philadelphia.

Councilwoman Brown, who sponsored the proclamation, said that she wished she had approached the issue differently. "I have learned as an enlightened pro-choice advocate that there may have been other ways to make my position known," she told the Inquirer.

Cardinal Rigali, in a statement, expressed his appreciation at the Council's action in repealing the proclamation. "I appreciate that the Council has considered seriously the sensitivities of all Philadelphians and has rightly voted to take these sensitivities into account," he said.

Among those who were disappointed by the repeal of the proclamation was Dayle Steinberg, who is the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania. She had helped Brown in the shaping of the proclamation. As she told the Inquirer, "It's unfortunate that there couldn't be an agreement to support the rights of women and families in Philadelphia."

A resolution that would have declared Philadelphia pro-choice and pro-life was withdrawn by its sponsor, Councilman Brian O'Neill.

Sources:

Inquirer, Council repeals 'pro-choice city' resolution, www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20070615_Council_repeals_pro-choice_city_resolution.html
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1850793/posts