PENNSYLVANIA — Yesterday, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairwoman Nancy Patton Mills, PA Dems Vice Chair State Sen. Sharif Street, PA Dems Executive Director Jason Henry, and PA Dems Political Director Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson joined together for a press call following recent reporting that conservative justices on the Supreme Court of the United States are set to overturn Roe v. Wade.
The speakers called out the crowded field of Republican gubernatorial and Senate candidates in Pennsylvania for their plans to outlaw abortion and restrict access to birth control and women’s health care, and emphasized how high the stakes are for reproductive rights in 2022. The speakers also highlighted how electing a Democratic governor and protecting and expanding the Democratic Senate majority is the only way to protect abortion access in Pennsylvania.
See below for local coverage:
Newswatch sixteen’s Carmello Badalona reports the abortion rights firestorm could send more people to the polls.
“People are outraged. I think it is going to be the focus of the campaign not only here in Pennsylvania but all over the nation. There were so many people that thought that this could never happen,” said Chair Nancy Patton Mills.
Members of the State Democratic Party leadership held a virtual news conference Tuesday to discuss the current battle the country is in regarding abortion rights. It comes after the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed a draft opinion looking to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked.
Pennsylvania Capital Star: Advocates, Democrats energized by possibility of U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat and former Planned Parenthood volunteer, has vowed to veto any legislation restricting abortion access. But with the term-limited governor leaving office in January 2023 and a series of proposals to limit abortion access circulating in the General Assembly, the procedure’s legality has become a centerpiece in the gubernatorial race.
Existing provisions could change with the results of the governor’s race as the Republican-controlled General Assembly has introduced legislation to restrict abortion access, and all nine GOP gubernatorial candidates support curtailing the procedure, with some in favor of exceptions for the life of the parent.
During a separate press call late on Tuesday, Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, said the upcoming legislative races present an opportunity for Democrats to “make significant progress” in the General Assembly.
Democrats have also stressed the importance of electing a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania. The highly-watched race is viewed as one of the few opportunities for the party to maintain control of the upper chamber.
[…]“We were motivated before this, but now, people are outraged,” Pennsylvania Democrats Chairperson Nancy Patton Mills said Tuesday.
City & State: With Court expected to strike down Roe v. Wade, PA’s governor race could determine abortion access – City & State Pennsylvania
“Republicans’ attacks on abortion access, birth control, and women’s health care have made it crystal clear that the stakes of our 2022 elections couldn’t be higher,” Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chair Nancy Patton Mills said in a statement. “Republicans have spent the last decade trying to strip health care access away from women and families, and this ruling would be a win for radical opponents of health care.”
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