HARRISBURG, Pa. — Reactions from Pa. leaders poor in after the Supreme Court decision to overturn the Roe v. Wade.
Governor Tom Wolf released the following statement, highlighting that "elections matter."
First and most importantly, it is critical that everyone understands that abortion services are available and unharmed in Pennsylvania by today’s Supreme Court action. Providers may still provide reproductive health care services and patients should continue the health care plan they’ve developed with their physicians.
Nonetheless, I am deeply disappointed in today’s Supreme Court opinion and the impact this decision will have nationwide. The right to bodily autonomy—and privacy as a whole—is under attack in this country. We must do more to protect the rights of women and pregnant people in every state across the country that doesn’t have a governor willing to wield their veto pen.
As we approach a critical election cycle here in Pennsylvania, I cannot stress enough how important it is to exercise your personal right to vote. Elections matter.
This decision did not happen overnight. Right-wing extremists have been strategically planning to dismantle decades long decisions to further their agendas and divide our country with policies designed to infringe upon our freedoms. They have done so one vote at a time, one election at a time across our beloved nation. We cannot allow this to continue.
Americans are feeling defeated and angry today, and I don’t blame them. However, as long as I am governor, I vow to protect abortion access and reproductive health care in Pennsylvania.
To women and pregnant people in surrounding states and across the country where this isn’t the case, you are safe here in the commonwealth.
U.S. Senator Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.) released the following statement:
The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization restores the American people’s ability to determine abortion laws through their elected representatives, as the Constitution requires. Precedents that are wrongly decided should be overturned, just as Brown v. Board of Education was right to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson. This ruling is a win for the unborn, the Constitution, and democratic governance.
Democratic nominee and Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman released the following statement in response to the ruling:
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. I will protect abortion rights. Dr. Oz will take them away. It’s that simple.
Republican nominee and television personality Mehmet Oz issued a tweet as his response:
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is to many considered controversial. 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 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. As we life up life, we must focus on the needs of mothers and children, for whom this decision can be the greatest gift of all.
Former President Donald J. Trump released the following statement:
Today’s decision, which is the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation, along with other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. It was my great honor to do so! I did not cave to the Radical Left Democrats, their partners in the Fake News Media, or the RINOs who are likewise the true, but silent, enemy of the people. These major Victories prove that even though the Radical Left is doing everything in their power to destroy our Country, your Rights are being protected, the Country is being defended, and there is still hope and time to Save America! I will never stop fighting for the Great People of our Nation!
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-Pa.) released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court decision:
Today’s decision upends almost a half century of legal precedent and rips away a constitutional right that generations of women have known their entire lives. This dangerous ruling won’t end abortions in this country, but it will put women’s lives at risk. And make no mistake—this is not the end goal, it’s just the beginning. Republicans in Congress want to pass federal legislation to completely ban abortion. Our daughters and granddaughters should not grow up with fewer rights than their mothers.
Republican gubernatorial nominee for Pa., Doug Mastriano, issued the following statement:
Roe v. Wade is rightly relegated to the ash heap of history. As the abortion debate returns to the states, Pennsylvania must be prepared to lead the nation in being a voice for the voiceless.
“While this decision by the U.S. Supreme Court is a triumph for innocent life, it must not take our focus away from the key issues facing Pennsylvania families.
“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.”
Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro released the following statement:
The Dobbs decision will go down as a shameful moment for our country and for the Court. Today, five Supreme Court Justices upended fifty years of settled law and subjected the health and private lives of millions of American women to the whims of politicians.
As a result of today’s decision, every American's personal freedoms now depend on the state in which they live. Here in Pennsylvania, decisions about your bodies will now be left to elected officials in Harrisburg– giving those politicians more power than women in our Commonwealth.
Let me be clear: For now, abortion remains legal in Pennsylvania. Our laws have not changed with this ruling and abortion is permitted in Pennsylvania through the 23rd week of pregnancy, and afterwards when necessary to protect the life or health of the mother. I plan to continue to defend doctors’ ability to practice medicine and women’s right to privacy against any efforts to enforce a defunct rule mandating women notify their husbands of their personal decisions.
Unfortunately, I can’t give that same assurance to the women in places like Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and other states across our nation. Wheels are already in motion to ban abortion in more than half of our country. I can promise you that if patients travel from those states into Pennsylvania – I will fight to protect them and their doctors from extreme politicians attempting to illegally interfere.
While this decision has no immediate impact here in Pennsylvania, it opens the door for our legislature to ban or criminalize abortion by simply passing a law—because there are no longer federal protections. I will fight any attempt to erode women's rights in our Commonwealth.
To the doctors and patients in Pennsylvania who are worried about how this decision will impact them, know that the full force of my office is dedicated to protecting legal access to abortion in our Commonwealth.
I will stand firm in protecting a woman’s right to choose — and anyone who tries to threaten or undermine the fundamental freedoms of Pennsylvania women will have to go through the Office of Attorney General first.
Senator Ryan Aument (R-36) released the following statement:
I attended my first March for Life in Washington, D.C. in 1993 – 20 years after Roe v. Wade was decided. We’ve been waiting 49 years for this moment, where we the people can finally protect the unborn!
Consider the 15-week law at issue in Dobbs. At 15 weeks an unborn baby can suck her thumb, has fully formed eyes, lips, nose, and mouth, and can feel excruciating pain. This SCOTUS decision finally gives power to the states and voters to advance human rights and protect vulnerable lives.
But as we celebrate this good news, know that Pennsylvania’s State Supreme Court may be on the brink of making the same error that SCOTUS made in Roe v. Wade — taking away the power of the people to protect unborn children and setting abortion policy through the courts. A case before our state’s supreme court asks the justices to find a right to taxpayer funded abortion — and abortion itself — in Pennsylvania’s constitution. Such a ruling could even result in abortions after six months.
That’s why I support Senate Bill 956, a proposed constitutional amendment that will allow the people through their elected representatives, rather than the courts, to set abortion policy.”
Harrisburg's House Democratic Leadership released the following joint statement:
Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision will hurt women’s access to health care, disproportionately harming people of color and those struggling financially. While abortion is still safe and legal here in Pennsylvania despite the court’s decision, the truth is the commonwealth is one vote away from criminalizing women’s health care and the dire consequences that it would prompt, higher maternal mortality rates, spikes in unsafe abortions, and the prosecution of doctors and nurses who provide necessary health care. Because let’s be honest: outlawing abortion doesn’t stop abortion.
Republicans have been working for decades to reverse Roe and already have bills ready for a vote that would cut access to care. House Democrats, on the other hand, have a plan to enshrine reproductive freedoms in the state Constitution and to protect our providers from having to fear arrest for simply providing care. A majority of Pennsylvanians support access to safe health care, but, sadly, the political reality is that Republicans are more worried about the special interests than people. That means their bills will be rammed through the legislature, while our bills to do what the people actually want will never be considered.
We’re not done fighting for people to be able to make decisions about their own body. In the meantime, we will work to shore up access to care in our communities that anticipate an uptick in women from neighboring states seeking safe health care and to protect our health care providers from legal action for doing their jobs.
Retired Judge Cheryl Allen, a representative from the Pennsylvania Family Institute wrote:
For the past 50 years, and after over two million abortions here in Pennsylvania, Roe has held states back from acknowledging medical advancements that have allowed all of us to more fully observe the humanity of unborn children.
Founding president of the Pennsylvania Family Institute, Michael Greer, also released the following statement:
From the very beginning of our organization back in 1989, protecting the sanctity of human life has been paramount. Overturning Roe is a huge step towards ensuring women, children and families are fully protected. While we join with thousands across the state in celebrating what we all have been praying and advocating for, we also need to continue to link arms together in our efforts to protect unborn life in Pennsylvania and across the nation.
Pa. State Director Dilonna Coran, speaking for The Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee, released the following statement:
Every child deserves the right to life. Roe was wrong from the start. Today’s significant decision is welcomed after decades of pro-life activism. Individual states are now finally free to protect life.
Unfortunately, nothing will immediately change for Pennsylvanians. The fight for women and children now goes to a different level. The Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1989 keeps abortion legal up to six months of pregnancy. In post-Roe, Pennsylvania could become a destination state for those seeking an abortion. According to the Guttmacher Institute, people driving to Pennsylvania seeking an abortion will increase by over 1,000 percent.
It is up to the citizens of this great Commonwealth to do our part. We must work tirelessly to elect legislators and a governor who support the culture of life and who will pass life-affirming legislation.
We will continue to update as additional statements are released.
