PENNSYLVANIA — Tomorrow is the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that established a woman’s right to access an abortion, but the leading Republican candidates for Governor are committed to attacking a woman’s right to access reproductive healthcare and are determined to force a dangerous abortion ban on the Commonwealth.
“The Republican candidates for Governor want Pennsylvania to return to 1973 — and they’re all-in on their mission to force an extreme and unpopular abortion ban on the Commonwealth,” said Pennsylvania Democratic Party spokesperson Marisa Nahem. “While majorities of Americans support the Supreme Court upholding Roe v. Wade and are crystal clear in their opposition to a Texas-style abortion ban, the leading candidates in this wide-open race-to-the-far-right aren’t even trying to hide their anti-choice agenda. Pennsylvanians don’t just see that these candidates are anti-choice, they understand that to protect reproductive rights, Pennsylvania must have a Democratic Governor.”
Pennsylvanians have made their disapproval of the Republican candidates’ anti-choice agenda known and this morning, local leaders will be hosting a press conference in Philadelphia to call out the GOP candidates for their attacks on reproductive rights. Here’s a reminder of some of the many GOP candidates’ support for extreme and unpopular abortion bans:
Doug Mastriano:
Doug Mastriano has been crystal clear on his extreme anti-choice views. In the fall, he trumpeted that SCOTUS’ lack of action in blocking Texas’ abortion ban was “great news” and “a victory for States’ rights.” He added that he’s “obviously very excited and happy about” the Texas abortion ban and called on fellow gubernatorial candidate Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman to have the “courage” to push this legislation in Pennsylvania. Mastriano has sought to bring the Texas-style abortion ban to Pennsylvania multiple times, as he’s introduced legislation that would effectively ban abortion after 6 weeks with no “exemptions to the law for cases involving incest or rape” in 2019. Undeterred, Mastriano re-introduced the 6 week abortion ban in 2021 that “will require physicians — before proceeding with an abortion — to determine whether the baby has a heartbeat. If the baby has a heartbeat, the abortion cannot be performed.”
Jake Corman:
Corman has a long record of rolling back abortion access in Pennsylvania. One of the crowning achievements of his anti-abortion record was when he voted for a bill that “would have been one of the strictest abortion laws in the country” at the time. In addition to attacking abortion rights, Corman voted to “effectively” close women’s health clinics that provide abortions out of existence — further limiting a woman’s right to choose in Pennsylvania. The legislation was decried as coming “right out of the playbook of those who think women should have no access to abortion care.” Corman’s time in the state legislature spans over 25 years, and he has routinely received a 0% score from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates for his anti-choice votes.
Lou Barletta:
Lou Barletta has repeatedly detailed his anti-choice agenda — saying that agenda will carry over to his role as Governor: “I will be a governor who signs pro-life legislation and there shouldn’t be any ambiguity about that.” Barletta openly shared his support for the Supreme Court undermining Roe v. Wade, stating he hopes the Supreme Court will uphold the Mississippi law that banned abortion after 15 weeks. Supporting extreme abortion bans is nothing new for Barletta — when in Congress, Barletta co-sponsored the “heartbeat” bill that “would effectively ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.”
Bill McSwain:
Bill McSwain joined his fellow GOP candidates in supporting abortion restrictions, “pledging to support more conservative abortion policies if elected.” During the far-right fight night debate, McSwain said he believes that overturning Roe v. Wade by the Supreme Court is the right decision.
Dave White:
Career politician Dave White is an unapologetic anti-choice politician. During the far-right fight night debate, White proudly stated he “would sign” a Mississippi-style abortion bill and he would “advocate that throughout this whole state.” He further reiterated his anti-choice stance on This Week In PA, when White was asked if a bill to further restrict abortion in PA comes to his desk, would he sign it? White’s answer was simple, “Yes.”
Charlie Gerow:
Charlie Gerow responded to Texas’ abortion ban decisively when asked if a “Texas-like abortion ban” was on his desk, would he sign it? He said he would “certainly sign it.” Gerow has also made clear how important a Democratic Governor is, adding he “would sign a fetal heartbeat law such as the one passed by the general assembly and vetoed by Tom Wolf.”
Joe Gale:
Joe Gale’s thoughts on Texas’ abortion ban shouldn’t be a surprise, he said, “the heartbeat legislation in Texas is a step in the right direction towards ending the atrocity of abortion.” Gale even voiced support for its “private enforcement mechanism,” and when asked if he’d sign an abortion ban with an enforcement element similar to Texas’, said, “Yes. That’s my number one issue.”
Note: John Ventre, Guy Ciarrocchi, Shawn Berger, Nche Zama, Melissa Hart, Jason Richey, Scott Martin, and Matt Drozd all champion anti-choice positions as well.
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