State of Pennsylvania Archives: on Abortion
Brian Fitzpatrick:
Double funding from $4B to $8B at woman's health clinics
Standing Up for Women and Women's Health:- Double women's health funding at the National Institutes of Health from $4B to $8B annually, in order to enhance and expand services and accessibility at woman's health clinics.
-
Support the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act.
- Support the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act to ensure women and healthcare providers are educated about the risks associated with breast density as studies have shown
that women with dense tissue, nearly 40 percent of all women, are at least four times more likely to develop breast cancer.
- Reform the FDA incident and compliance process so that patients are empowered to report faulty technology or treatments which
are causing unintended harm.
- Recognizing the emotional burdens of caregiving, champion legislation that eases the financial burden of caregiving through pre-tax savings accounts.
- Equal pay for equal work
Source: 2016 PA House campaign website BrianFitzpatrick.com
Nov 8, 2016
Everett Stern:
Legal protection to unborn children
Q: Do you support or oppose. `Abortion is a woman's unrestricted right`?
A: Strongly Oppose:
- Pro-life; encourage adoption over abortion.
- Prohibit federal funding for abortion.
- Defund Planned Parenthood.
- Legal protection to unborn children.
Source: E-mail interview on 2016 PA Senate race with OnTheIssues
Nov 2, 2015
Josh Shapiro:
Defended reproductive rights & woman's right to choose
Josh exposed the Catholic Church's decades-long cover up of child sexual abuse, identifying 301 predator priests and thousands of victims--and spurring investigations across the United States.
He forced an agreement between two of the Commonwealth's largest insurance companies, protecting health care access for 2 million Pennsylvanians, and he has repeatedly gone to court to defend
Pennsylvanians' reproductive rights and a woman's right to choose.Josh fought against the
Trump Administration's efforts to deny women access to no-cost contraception and essential health care services through Planned Parenthood.
Source: 2021 PA Gubernatorial campaign website JoshShapiro.org
Oct 15, 2021
Marc Scaringi:
Pro-life
The moderator held a lightning round, where the candidates could only answer "yes," "no," or "abstain."
All of the candidates said that they are pro-life, pro-second amendment, and would get rid of the Department of Education.
Source: PoliticsPA.com coverage of 2012 PA Senate debate
Jan 21, 2012
Tom Ridge:
Allow abortions, with limits; no partial-birth
Supports the following principles concerning abortion: - Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- Abortions should be legal only when pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is
endangered.
- Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements.
- Prohibit the late-term abortion procedure known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics.
Source: 1998 PA National Political Awareness Test
Jul 2, 1998
Tom Smith:
No abortion under all circumstances, including rape & incest
Tom Smith inadvertently waded into the war of words over rape and abortion. Asked about his stance on abortion, Smith said he opposed it in all circumstances, including rape and incest.He then seemed to equate the trauma of a pregnancy brought about
by rape with a woman's deciding to have a child outside marriage. Smith backtracked under later questioning, saying that the situations were not exactly the same but that "a life is a life, and it needs to be protected."
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer on 2012 PA Senate debate
Aug 29, 2012
Tom Smith:
Pro-life, period, but not for rape
In response to a question on Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock's statement that a pregnancy resulting from rape is "something
God intended," Casey called it "outrageous." Smith said he also doesn't agree with the statement but added that he is "pro-life period."
Source: Cumberlink Sentinel on 2012 PA Senate debate
Oct 26, 2012
Josh Shapiro:
Women deserve to make their own choices about their bodies
This budget makes feminine hygiene products available at no cost in our schools, because girls deserve to have peace of mind so they can focus on learning. This budget also increases support for health care providers that provide
high-quality family planning tools and reproductive health care services. Because women and girls deserve to make their own choices about their own bodies.
Source: 2024 State of the State Address to the PA legislature
Feb 6, 2024
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026