Republican Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate and state Sen. Doug Mastriano said in 2019 that women should be charged with murder if they have abortions after six weeks.
Mastriano made the comments in a radio interview when asked about a heartbeat bill he sponsored. The bill would ban abortions after six weeks when a fetal heartbeat could first be detected. Critics argue that most women are not even aware that they are pregnant at that time.
In the interview, Mastriano was asked whether a woman who decided to get an abortion at 10 weeks would be charged with murder.
“Okay, let’s go back to the basic question there. Is that a human being? Is that a little boy or girl? If it is, it deserves equal protection in the law,” Mastriano responds.
“So you’re saying yes?” the interviewer asks.
“Yes, I am,” Mastriano says.
Mastriano’s comments were reported for the first time on Tuesday by NBC News.
Since winning the GOP primary Mastriano has downplayed his past support for strict anti-abortion legislation. In fact, he has tried to portray his Democratic rival, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, as the candidate in the race with “extreme” views on the issue while arguing that his views are “irrelevant”.
“My views are kind of irrelevant because I cannot rule by fiat or edict or executive order on the issue of life,” Mastriano said. “It’s up to the people of Pennsylvania. So if Pennsylvanians want exceptions, if they want to limit the number of weeks, it’s going to have to come from your legislative body and then to my desk.”
However, Shapiro has repeatedly used the issue to attack Mastriano especially after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade this summer.
“Doug Mastriano has said his number one priority is banning abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother — and now, it’s clear he also wants to prosecute women for murder for making personal healthcare decisions. Mastriano has the most extreme anti-choice position in the country — and there is no limit to how far he would go to take away Pennsylvania women’s freedom,” Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro’s campaign, said in a statement in response to Mastriano’s resurfaced comments.
Abortion is a key issue this fall for voters. Currently, Pennsylvania law bans the procedure after 24 weeks with exceptions. Whether this remains so after the midterms is entirely dependent on who wins the gubernatorial race.
Republicans control the legislature in the state and as NBC noted, it is likely to still be controlled by Republicans after the midterm elections in November. This makes it a strong possibility that Mastriano would be able to sign further restrictions into law if he wins this November.
