Altoona Times

Senator Judy Ward has announced that the Senate Education Committee has approved a bill aimed at ensuring fairness in women's sports by designating athletic teams based on biological sex. The legislation, known as Senate Bill 9 or the Save Women’s Sports Act, requires public schools and colleges to label sports teams as male, female, or coed. Only biological females would be allowed to join teams designated for women under this bill.

Ward emphasized the importance of the bill, stating, “The passage of the Save Women’s Sports Act by the Senate Education Committee marks a significant step toward maintaining integrity and fairness in women’s sports.” She added that it aims to ensure female athletes have a level playing field and protect progress made in women's athletics over recent decades.

Since 2020, Pennsylvania has seen 37 female athletes lose first place and another 13 lose second or third place across various sports due to competition with males. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, males generally outperform females by 10%–30% in sports requiring endurance, strength, speed, and power due to physiological differences.

The bill was introduced by Senator Ward along with several female colleagues: Senators Kristin Phillips-Hill, Kim Ward, Lisa Baker, Michele Brooks, Camera Bartolotta, Tracy Pennycuick, Rosemary Brown, Lynda Schlegel Culver, and Dawn Keefer. It also has backing from co-sponsors including Greg Rothman, Doug Mastriano, Wayne Langerholc, Scott Hutchinson, Scott Martin, Patrick Stefano, Cris Dush and Frank Farry.

The Save Women’s Sports Act will now proceed to the full Senate for further consideration.

Residents interested in following updates can find Senator Ward on Facebook at Facebook.com/SenJudyWard and on X (Twitter) @SenatorJWard. More information is available on her website at SenatorJudyWard.com where constituents can also sign up for her e-newsletter.

Contact for Ward: Nathan Akers at 717-787-2421