The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, ending a 50-year precedent that held access to abortion as a constitutionally protected right and leaving the issue for the states to decide.
The court’s 6-3 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health triggers laws in 13 states that will outlaw abortion in the next month and more are expected to ban or severely restrict access to the medical procedure.
Pennsylvania will not see any immediate impact, however, as Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf as vowed to veto any legislation passed by the General Assembly that would further restrict abortion in the commonwealth. State law allows abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and later in cases of danger to life or health.
“The right to bodily autonomy—and privacy as a whole—is under attack in this country,” Wolf said in a statement. “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.
“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.”
Wolf is term-limited and in his final year of office. The two candidates vying to replace him hold starkly different views on abortion.
Democratic candidate and current Pennsylvania Attorney General has said he will protect the commonwealth’s current law.
“The Dobbs decision will go down as a shameful moment for our country and for the Court,” Shapiro said on Friday. “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.”
Republican candidate and state Sen. Doug Mastriano has signed he supports legislation to ban abortion at six weeks with no exceptions for rape, incest or life of the mother.
“Roe v. Wade is rightly relegated to the ash heap of history,” Mastriano said. “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.”
Here’s how Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senators, state elected officials, lawmakers representing Centre County and several candidates in the upcoming election responded to the decision.
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa.
“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.”
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.
“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.”
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
“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.”
Mehmet Oz, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate
“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.”
U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township
“My position on life has always been clear. You can’t be a champion for the future of this great country if you are going to limit its potential. It is my belief that every child, every human life, is sacred and has a purpose in this world. Today’s Supreme Court decision returns the authority to regulate abortion to the states, through the people and their elected officials.”
U.S. Rep. Fred Thompson, R-Kreamer
“Today’s historic decision ushers in a new era of prolife protections for the unborn not seen in half a century. I commend SCOTUS for its fortitude—amid threats of attacks & harassment from the radical left—to make the right decision and return this issue back to the states where it belongs. Most importantly, this ruling invalidates Roe v. Wade which was wrongly decided nearly 50 years ago. Nothing is more important than life.”
State House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte/171st District
Joint statement with Speaker Bryan Cutler
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling reestablishes the authority of states to regulate abortion. The ruling once again makes clear it is the authority of individual states to establish laws that are in the best interest of their residents. It is important to point out Pennsylvania’s Abortion Control Act remains in effect, and places firm restrictions on abortions in our Commonwealth including a ban on all late-term abortion procedures.
“This ruling presents a necessary opportunity to examine our existing abortion law, and discussions around possible changes are already underway.”
Robert Zeigler, Millheim Borough Council member and Democratic candidate for the 171st State House District
“The opinion by the Supreme Court specifically targets our constitutional right to privacy. The right to privacy should protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of all of us. Succinctly, it’s the right to how we live, run, and love in our homes. The right to abortion, the right to contraceptives, the right to freely love whoever you choose, and many other basic rights all rely on the right to privacy. Overturning Roe v Wade is earth shattering and gut wrenching. It is a full on assault on what it means to be a human.
“… Now more than ever it is up to us to take the lead from PA NOW members. We must have advocates across all levels of government who are willing to stand up for us. We must stand together to fight for the progress that we have made and to ensure that we do not slide back to a time when cis-het older rich Protestant white men were the only ones with rights. We need representatives that aren’t afraid to point out the root causes of these issues and who are willing to fight tooth and nail. We need someone who will advocate for putting Roe v Wade back on the books, fight to have it put in the constitution, and who won’t stop there!”
Paul Takac, College Township Council member and Democratic candidate for the 82nd State House District
“The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is shameful. I am devastated and heartbroken for the millions of Americans this directly impacts, and for the country as a whole. Amongst so much national tragedy, we are looking at a court and national leadership filled with zealots who are more concerned about giving guns more rights than women and people.
“This ruling from the Supreme Court is dangerous, horrifying and absolutely betrays the trust of the American people. And I feel the same fear that so many folks do of what is next to come. With this shift of power back to the states, the upcoming election in November has never had more at stake for Pennsylvanians. It is still legal to access safe abortion in our Commonwealth, and we must keep it that way.”
State Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township/77th District
“As Pennsylvania legislators and governing officials, we must immediately focus our efforts to enshrining reproductive rights in our state constitution.”
State College Mayor Ezra Nanes
“So many people in our community, across Pennsylvania, and the United States are reckoning with the devastating impact of the Supreme Court’s assault on the rights of women in their overturning of Roe v Wade. Anger, disappointment, fear, concern, determination – Mieke and I share these feelings with you.
“Women have the absolute right to reproductive healthcare and autonomy over their bodies. No state, nor any government has the legal, ethical, or moral right to deny healthcare to a woman or to any person. Each person possesses the right to choose what is best for them, for their health and wellbeing, and this right includes the right to a safe abortion. Women already suffer from a broad lack of adequate healthcare for their unique reproductive life stages, including menopause. We ought to be spending our energy expanding access to healthcare and empowering women by respecting their voices and their needs.
“As long as we have any voice or are entrusted with any power, we will use these sacred trusts to guarantee the rights of women and people of diverse genders to self-determination with the full support and protection of our society.
“We will continue our work to these ends and to electing people who understand that leadership means supporting and empowering, not controlling and exploiting, others.”
State College Borough Council President Jesse Barlow
“I was a senior in high school when Roe was handed down in 1973; I did not think then that this progress would be reversed. For years, however, the Roe decision has hung by a thread. That decision has no doubt saved the lives of countless women. I am a strong believer in the phrase ‘Roe was not the beginning of women getting abortions; it was the end of women dying from abortions.’
“I have read through parts of the Alito draft and what I saw… should be considered a dated view of American law and is based on a narrow view of our society. Congress must right this wrong and protect the right of pregnant people to abortion. Pennsylvania must remain a state [where] abortion is legal and available. Even though I have known this was coming for months, it is a shocking setback for women’s rights and for our society. It is also should tell all of us that courts matter and who sits on those courts matter. We are a less free country than we were yesterday.”
