Loved it/Hated it: Roe v Wade ruling brings mixed reactions across Pennsylvania

Friday’s Supreme Court ruling overturning a constitutional right to abortion drew celebration and condemnation from elected officials, political leaders and advocates on both sides of the debate in Pennsylvania.

The 6-3 majority opinion overturning Roe V. Wade, first revealed in a leaked draft opinion last month, sparked a flurry of responses and calls for action as the courts put the issue back on state legislatures.

The ruling stems from a 2018 challenge to a Mississippi law that outlawed abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Pennsylvania currently allows abortions to be performed up to 23 weeks but allows them in cases where the life or health of the mother is at risk beyond that.

The decision won’t have an immediate impact in Pennsylvania, as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf reiterated Friday he would veto any legislation seeking to restrict abortion further by the General Assembly.

Wolf is in his last term, however, making reproductive rights likely a major factor especially in the gubernatorial race between Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano.

Mastriano, a state Senator from Franklin County, has long supported banning abortions in Pennsylvania and on Friday cheered the ruling saying Roe V. Wade was “rightly relegated to the ash heap of history.”

“Pennsylvanians will not be distracted by the hysterics of the left as they exploit this ruling to try to fulfill their far-left agenda. As they struggle with all-time record-high inflation, the people care deeply about the price of gas and groceries, as well as out-of-control crime and good-paying jobs – which is exactly why I will prioritize these issues as their governor,” Mastriano said.

Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s current Attorney General, called Mastriano’s position “dangerous” during an early afternoon press call Friday, saying there was only one way to protect abortion access in the commonwealth.

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“Our legislature is poised to pass a bill that would outlaw abortion and criminalize doctors for providing reproductive health care … There is one way, and one way only, to ensure that abortions remain legal in Pennsylvania is by winning this governor’s race,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro added that inflation and other issues would not overshadow his campaign moving forward.

“I can walk and chew gum at the same time and so can the voters. They can focus on their rights and making sure we lower costs, making sure that we invest in our schools and in safe communities and growing our economy,” Shapiro said.

The two candidates running to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey this November also weighed in on the ruling Friday.

Democrat John Fetterman echoed past statements that he would fight to protect the right to abortion at the federal level if elected.

“Deciding how and when to become a mother is a decision that should always be made by a woman and her doctor — not politicians. If there were any doubts left about what’s at stake in this race, it became crystal clear today. The right to an abortion will be on the ballot this November in Pennsylvania."

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Republican Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and former TV host, said he was “relieved” that the courts put abortion back on the state lawmakers.

“I respect those with a different view, but as a heart surgeon, I've held the smallest of human hearts in the palm of my hand, and I will defend the sanctity of life. I am relieved that protecting the lives of America's unborn children will once again be decided by the people through their elected representatives,” Oz said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Oz has said he would support restrictions on abortion except in cases of rape or incest or if the life of the mother is at risk.

The majority opinion authored by Associate Justice Samuel Alito said the 1973 landmark ruling was “egregiously wrong from the start” and had “damaging consequences” since then.

Archbishop of Philadelphia Nelson Perez issued a statement within minutes of the ruling being issued Friday morning saying the decision affirmed the views held by millions of Catholics across state and country.

“As Catholics, we believe that life is God’s most precious gift and that we share a responsibility to uphold its beauty and sanctity from conception to natural death. In addition to being strong advocates for the unborn, this responsibility extends to caring for the hungry, the poor, the sick, the immigrant, the elderly, the oppressed, and any of our brothers and sisters who are marginalized,” Perez said.

Tim Broderick, executive director of People for Life, an Erie-based nonprofit organization formed in 1975 that opposes abortion rights, called the Supreme Court's decision "a great milestone."

"It has been a goal of ours from the beginning," Broderick said. "I was sure it would happen someday, but I was not expecting it this soon."

As pro-life advocates rejoiced in the court’s ruling, others warned of the jeopardy the decision could cause if more restrictions followed.

"Our democracy is absolutely on life support, and we have legislators pinching the oxygen tube. That's what's happening. Women will have no choice but to bear children of incest, sexual abuse and rape. Women will feel obligated to remain with their abusers, our bodies will become property of the U.S. government,” said Christa Caceres, president, NAACP Monroe County Branch #2275.

Lauren Peterson, executive director of Women's Resources of Monroe County, said the ruling was a blow to the fundamental right to privacy in health care that could endanger some.

“The overturning of Roe vs Wade by the Supreme Court puts the constitutional right to privacy in jeopardy and puts survivors at risk of additional harm. Reproductive coercion, forced pregnancies, forced abortions, and rape resulting in pregnancy are all risk factors that undermine victims’ physical and psychological safety and well-being,” Peterson said.

Whether changes to Pennsylvania’s laws on abortion come now or after the election, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seem to be preparing for a battle in the General Assembly.

State Sen. Steve Santarsiero, a Democrat who represents a large part of Bucks County outside of Philadelphia, called the ruling unacceptable, in a statement released Friday. He said he would fight legislation to restrict access to abortions in Pennsylvania, saying he expects a fight in Harrisburg.

A joint statement from Pennsylvania’s Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin, said the court ruling presented “a necessary opportunity to examine our existing abortion law” and said discussions “were already underway.”

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Abortion ruling shapes election landscape in Pennsylvania