Women's Law Project, Western Pennsylvania

The Women's Law Project joined the fight for women's rights in 1974, founded by a group of feminist attorneys devoted to equality and justice. Emboldened by the resurgent feminist movement of the 1970s, we soon won national recognition for our trailblazing Equal Rights Amendment Project, combining extensive litigation under state ERAs with public education.

The Women's Law Project has a stellar record of achievement protecting reproductive freedom in Pennsylvania and elsewhere in the United States. We represented the plaintiffs in three landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on reproductive freedom: ACOG v. Thornburgh (1986), Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), and Ferguson v. City of Charleston (2001). We led the massive, nationwide amicus effort upholding abortion rights in the U.S. Supreme Court in Stenberg v. Carhart (2000); our litigation struck down Pennsylvania's rape and incest police reporting requirements for low-income women's Medicaid-funded abortions in Blackwell v. Knoll (1996). On a daily basis, Law Project attorneys troubleshoot for Pennsylvania clinics, hospitals, doctors, patient advocates, and women seeking abortions, providing acurrate, authoritative information about Pennsylvania's abortion laws.

The Women's Law Project has challenged sex discrimination in employment, education, athletics, and insurance; advanced the rights of lesbian and gay parents; advocated on behalf of impoverished women; worked for fair and accessible procedures in child custody, child support, and protection from abuse actions; and championed the rights of sexual assault survivors. We take pride in being both a unique resource for Pennsylvania women and a national leader in the field of women's rights.