Staff Writer

Early voting in Pennsylvania began last week when ballots began being sent out on October 25. One of the most important issues that will be decided this election is abortion and a woman’s right to choose. 

In the October 25 Senatorial Debate between Republican Senate Candidate Mehmet Oz Democratic Candidate John Fetterman, Oz asserted not only that abortion law should be set by individual states, but also that “doctors [and] local political leaders” should be in charge of the private reproductive health care decisions of women.

Who are these “local political leaders?” Republican candidate for Governor Doug Mastriano is one of them. Mastriano is someone who has publicly vocalized his support for unscientific abortion measures like the heartbeat law – physicians will determine if the fetus has a heartbeat, and if it does, an abortion cannot be legally performed. He has also claimed that he would be “the most pro-life governor in the nation.” His track record as State Senator certainly backs up these claims. He was the lead sponsor on a heartbeat bill that would ban abortion as early as six weeks in Pennsylvania, before most people know they are pregnant.

Not only are Republicans like Mastriano proposing restrictions on abortion rights, they also believe in not allowing abortions under extenuating circumstances like incest or rape. Mastriano has gone on record saying, “I don’t give a way for exceptions.” He has also attacked contraceptives saying, “my goal is to ultimately get it [the bans] down to conception in the end.” 

With abortion rights on the line and Oz giving cover to Mastriano to decide the future of abortion rights in Pennsylvania, voters will decide who they want as their next Senator and Governor next week on November 8th, 2022.