ICYMI: NEW POLL FINDS BROAD MAJORITIES OF AMERICANS OPPOSE TEXAS’ ABORTION LAW: WHAT DO THE PA-GOV CANDIDATES THINK?

SCOTUS announced it will hear a challenge to Roe v. Wade. The Washington Post featured polling showing that the majority of Americans oppose key provisions of Texas’ abortion ban. Where do the PA-Gov candidates stand?

PENNSYLVANIA — Reproductive rights are set to be a major issue for Republican candidates across the country and Pennsylvanians deserve to know whether the far-right PA-Gov candidates support a Texas-style abortion ban. 

New polling featured in the Washington Post shows that the majority of Americans are against key provisions of Texas’ abortion ban, just as the Supreme Court announced it will hear a challenge to Roe v. Wade in Mississippi. Despite clear opposition from a majority of Americans, the Republicans competing to be Trump’s Pennsylvania apprentice are all-in on restricting women’s health care.

Local media has been able to get all Trump’s “Super MAGA” primary candidates on the record on their dangerous views — except for Bill McSwain. Instead, McSwain has provided few answers on his view of Texas’ abortion ban, dodging questions and including a vague two sentences on “life” on his heavily flawed campaign website. 

While McSwain hasn’t commented on Texas’ abortion ban, he says he “will sign legislation that protects the unborn and values the dignity and sanctity of human life.” Pennsylvanians deserve to know if McSwain will work to bring a devastating and unpopular Texas-style abortion ban to our state. In Texas, private citizens are encouraged to act as bounty hunters and go after those who perform abortions — and that’s exactly what we could face in Pennsylvania if Republicans get their way. 

In case you missed it, check out The Washington Post report below:

Washington Post: Broad majorities of Americans oppose key provisions of restrictive Texas abortion law, poll finds

By John Wagner, 09/20/21

Broad majorities of Americans oppose key provisions of a restrictive Texas abortion law, and a majority disagrees with the recent Supreme Court decision that allowed the law, which effectively bans abortions after six weeks, to go into effect, a new poll finds.

The new law takes a novel approach, relying on private citizens to sue people who help women get forbidden abortions, effectively eliminating the guarantee in Roe v. Wade and subsequent Supreme Court decisions that women have a right to end their pregnancies before viability and that states may not impose undue burdens on that decision.

In the Monmouth University poll, 70 percent of Americans say they disapprove of “allowing private citizens to use lawsuits to enforce this law rather than having government prosecutors handle these cases.”

Meanwhile, 81 percent say they disapprove of giving $10,000 to “private citizens who successfully file suits against those who perform or assist a woman with getting an abortion.”

The poll also finds that 54 percent of Americans disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision to let the law stand while the legal battle over it continues.

[…]

“The American public is largely pro-choice, although many would accept some limitations on abortion access. This Texas law goes way too far for most people,” Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. “The ‘bounty’ aspect in particular seems objectionable.”

The poll finds that 62 percent of Americans say abortion should either be always legal or legal with some limitations. About 24 percent of respondents say it should be illegal except for rape, incest or to save the mother’s life, and 11 percent say it should always be illegal. Those numbers are largely unchanged from a Monmouth poll two years ago.

[…]

When asked about two key provisions of the Texas law, the vast majority of Democrats and independents voice opposition. Republicans are split on having private citizens enforce the law (46 percent approve and 41 percent disapprove), while most Republicans (67 percent) take a negative view of the $10,000 payment provision.

[…]

The Monmouth University poll of 802 adults was conducted by phone from Sept. 9 to Sept. 13. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

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