State Sen. Doug Mastriano, the GOP’s nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, once said women who violate his previously proposed abortion ban should be charged with murder, according to a newly resurfaced radio interview that occurred in 2019.
In an interview with state radio station WITF, Mastriano was asked about an abortion bill he was proposing at the time that sought to ban the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected — typically around six weeks. The only exception to the bill would be in cases in which the mother’s life is threatened.
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Roughly halfway into the 46-minute interview, the radio host posed a question about possible consequences of violating the abortion law — namely, if the would-be mother could be charged with murder.
“Let’s go back to the basic question there. Is that a human being? Is that a little boy or girl? If it is, it deserves equal protection under the law,” Mastriano told Smart Talk host Scott Lamar.
“So you’re saying yes?” Lamar asked.
“Yes, I am,” Mastriano said.
Going further, Mastriano said physicians who perform what would have been considered an illegal abortion under his proposal would also be charged with murder, noting that some women are “lied to or deceived” by their medical provider.
“So it goes back down to the courts. If it’s ruled that that little, little person is a baby, a human being, then that’s murder. And it has to go through the legal procedures,” the Republican said.
Mastriano’s proposed bill ultimately failed to make it through the state legislature, where it would’ve faced an uphill battle making it past Gov. Tom Wolf, who had vowed to veto any anti-abortion legislation.
The state senator’s comments have regained renewed attention as abortion has taken center stage in the midterm elections after Roe v. Wade was overturned in June, returning the question of the procedure’s legality back to the individual states. The issue has become particularly central to the race for Pennsylvania’s governor as the future of abortion rights in the state could be determined depending on whether Mastriano or Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro wins the seat.
Since clinching the GOP nomination in May, Mastriano has backed away from talking about abortion on the campaign trail despite previously considering it his No. 1 issue and “a national catastrophe.” After the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe, the Republican candidate has sought to paint his opponent as extreme on the issue while maintaining his own opinion is “irrelevant.”
“My views are kind of irrelevant because I cannot rule by fiat or edict or executive order on the issue of life,” Mastriano said in an interview with Real America’s Voice. “It’s up to the people of Pennsylvania. So if Pennsylvanians want exceptions, if they want to limit the number of weeks, it’s going to have to come from your legislative body and then to my desk.”
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Shapiro has voiced support for Pennsylvania’s current abortion law, which bans the procedure after 24 weeks with some exceptions. However, the Democrat has been outspoken against proposals that would outright ban abortion in the state.
“Doug Mastriano wants to ban abortion outright — no exceptions for rape, incest, or even if the life of the mother is at risk,” Shapiro said in a tweet. “He wants to implement the most extreme abortion ban in the nation — and our Republican Legislature is determined to help him. We must stop them.”
Mastriano and Shapiro are set to face off in the November election to replace Wolf, who is retiring.
