What Roe V. Wade Decision Could Mean For Abortion In PA
From a flood of patients to the state to the general election, the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision could have immense impact.
Justin Heinze,
Harrisburg Patch Staff
Posted Wed, Jun 22, 2022
PENNSYLVANIA — With the U.S. Supreme Court's final decision on Roe v. Wade continously pending, and it's leaked draft opinion seemingly overturning the case looming over the nation, speculation has run rampant as to what exactly a seismic shift in federal law could mean at the local level.
In the short term at least, Pennsylvania is fixed to stand pat. While an eager Republican legislature would leap on the chance to enforce similar restrictions on abortion in the state, Gov. Tom Wolf has been clear that "abortion access in Pennsylvania will remain legal and safe as long as I am governor."
… Of course, the best barometer for the future of the issue comes down to the Pennsylvania gubernatorial election in November. A win for Democrat Josh Shapiro would continue the policies existing under Gov. Tom Wolf. A win for Doug Mastriano would all but guarentee the passage of some kind of concommitant severe restriction of abortion in the state, with the Trump ally's views on the issue well-known and the legislature firmly Republican.
As a state senator, Mastriano has himself introduced legislation that would do just that. In both 2019 and 2021, he introduced Senate Bill 378, the "Heartbeat Bill," which would "require physicians – before proceeding with an abortion – to determine whether the baby has a heartbeat," according to a co-sponsorship memorandum. In May, Mastriano added that the original Roe decision "was one of the darkest days in American history."
More here
https://patch.com/pennsylvania/across-pa/what-roe-v-wade-decision-could-mean-abortion-pa
Note:The GOP controls the entire Pennsylvania legislature. The GOP has controlled the State Senate since 1994 and the State House since 2010.
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