(WHTM) — A leaked draft ruling from the Supreme Court indicates that the court may be preparing to overturn the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide.
Gov. Tom Wolf has vowed in the past to veto any anti-abortion legislation that reaches his desk, but he will soon be leaving office, possibly opening the door for one of Pennsylvania’s primary candidates to influence abortion legislation in the state.
Jake Corman and the rest of the Republicans running for governor say they support anti-abortion legislation, but there are some differences among the candidates, as they discussed in a debate hosted by abc27 last week.
“I would provide exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother only,” Republican candidate Bill McSwain said.
Similarly, Republican candidate Lou Barletta said, “I have made exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.”
On the other hand, Republican candidate Dave White said, “I would not have any exceptions.”
State Senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano said, “I don’t give way for exceptions either. Kathy Barnette is going to be our next U.S. Senator. She is a product of rape.”
White and Mastriano also say that doctors who perform abortions should be punished.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the presumptive Democratic candidate for governor who plans to campaign on the issue, saying that abortion-rights supporters better vote for him in November.
“When a bill comes to the next governor’s desk to ban abortion, which it will, I will veto it, and every one of my opponents would sign it,” Shapiro said.
Corman is currently the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate and says he would be “a pro-life governor” although he supports exceptions to an abortion ban. He says he cannot yet say whether he envisions a Republican-controlled legislature passing a total ban on abortions. “You have to wait to see who you have in the legislature, what you have the votes for,” he said.
What is clear is that the leaked Supreme Court draft decision has both anti-abortion and abortion-rights activists energized ahead of the primary election on May 17.