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State FACE Act Bill Raises Concerns for Sidewalk Counseling (HB670)
A bill introduced in early 2025 would create a state-level version of the federal FACE Act, adding criminal and civil penalties for obstructing access to reproductive health facilities. Pro-life advocates have raised concern it could be used against peaceful prayer or sidewalk counseling.
House Bill 670, known as the state Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, would create a Pennsylvania version of the federal FACE law. It is sponsored by Rep. Morgan Powell and was introduced February 20, 2025.
The bill would make it a criminal offense, with both criminal and civil penalties, to use force, intimidation, or physical obstruction to block access to a reproductive health services facility.
Supporters describe it as protection for patients and providers amid rising harassment and violence at clinics, since the federal government has said it will not enforce the existing federal FACE Act. Pro-life groups, including the Pennsylvania Family Council, have raised concern that similar laws elsewhere have been used against peaceful prayer and sidewalk counseling outside facilities — an issue that has already been litigated in Pennsylvania in a Harrisburg buffer-zone case that went to federal appeals court.
Source: Women's Law Project 2025-2026 Policy Agenda; Pennsylvania Family Council.