[Click the video above to watch Lou Barletta discuss his pro-life agenda on ABC27.]
PENNSYLVANIA — As Republicans across the country double down on their attacks on reproductive rights, the GOP candidates running for Governor here in the Commonwealth are joining them — no matter how divisive and out-of-touch their extreme anti-choice agenda is.
A majority of Americans support SCOTUS upholding Roe v. Wade and oppose Texas’ abortion ban, but this year, Doug Mastriano and his Pennsylvania Senate colleagues championed legislation that would ban an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.
While this kind of extreme anti-choice legislation is wildly out-of-touch, the far-right PA-Gov candidates have made it perfectly clear that they will sign an extreme abortion bill.
On ABC27 this weekend, Lou Barletta said “If there was a legislative bill on my desk protecting life, I would sign it,” and he previously said he’s “hopeful the Supreme Court will uphold the Mississippi law.” Likewise, Guy Ciarrocchi said, “It is time for Roe to be replaced.”
In case you missed it, here’s recent coverage of Pennsylvania Republicans’ support for a divisive abortion ban in the Commonwealth:
By Jon Delano, 12/01/21
Whether you describe yourself as pro-life or pro-choice, at stake in Wednesday’s Supreme Court argument is how far a state like Pennsylvania can go in limiting a woman’s right to end her pregnancy. And that, of course, depends on who you elect to state government in 2022.
Pro-life Republicans, who control both the state House and state Senate, have been blocked by a pro-choice Democratic governor Tom Wolf, who has vetoed all the bills he believes restrict a woman’s right to choose.
By Max Marin and Julia Terruso, 12/01/21
Gov. Tom Wolf has repeatedly vetoed bills seeking to restrict abortion access over his two terms — but a Republican takeover in the governor’s office could radically change the playing field.
A GOP-ruled executive and legislative branch could more swiftly enact laws to restrict abortion access.
By Marley Parish, 12/01/21
But with Wolf, who is term-limited, leaving office in January 2023, abortion access has become a centerpiece in the governor’s race.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the only Democrat so far seeking the party nomination, has said the only thing keeping Pennsylvania from enacting an abortion ban, such as the one passed in Texas earlier this year, is a Democrat serving as the state’s top executive.
WHYY: Pennsylvania could become destination for abortions if Roe is overturned
By Nina Feldman, 12/03/21
If Pennsylvania elects a Republican governor in 2022, it’s possible the commonwealth would see more restrictive laws enacted. Democratic pro-choice Gov. Tom Wolf has repeatedly vetoed bills that would further restrict abortion access passed by Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled House and Senate.
###