Wolf: ‘Abortion is and will remain legal in Pennsylvania’

Politico’s leak of the Supreme Court’s draft opinion on Roe v. Wade prompted Gov. Tom Wolf to again remind Pennsylvanians that abortion will remain legal in the state under his watch.

A draft opinion suggests the US Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, according to a Politico report.

A decision to overrule Roe v. Wade would lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

But as long as Gov. Tom Wolf is in office, Pennsylvania will not be one of those states turning back the clock to before 1973.

The governor quickly took to social media following Politico’s explosive report of the leaked SCOTUS draft on Roe v Wade Monday. He again reminded Pennsylvanians that his veto pen will serve as the final line of defense against any anti-abortion legislation, whether it comes from the highest court in the land, or Pennsylvania’s GOP-majority state legislature, which has repeatedly tried to pass bills seeking to limit abotion access in the commonwealth.

With Wolf leaving office in 2023, there’s even greater scrutiny on an already critically-important gubernatorial race.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has made his stance on Roe v. Wade clear: if he is elected governor, abortion will remain legal in Pennsylvania.

All four of the GOP frontrunners in the race – former congressman Lou Barletta, state Sen. Doug Mastriano (Franklin), lawyer Bill McSwain, and businessman and former Delaware County councilman Dave White – are staunchly anti-abortion. 

During a debate last week, they all said they would restrict or even ban abortion, if allowed by the US Supreme Court. McSwain was the only candidate who said he would maintain exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the case before its term ends in late June or early July.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.