Dave Sunday, the Republican nominee for state attorney general of Pennsylvania, speaks at a campaign event at the Beerded Goat Brewing Co., April 25, 2024, in Harrisburg, Pa. (AP Photo/Marc Levy)
Dave Sunday is standing by his vague answers on enforcing Pennsylvania’s abortion laws. Sunday promises to enforce the law but refuses to give definitive responses on protecting reproductive rights
York County District Attorney Dave Sunday doubled down on his previous comments about following Pennsylvania’s abortion laws during a debate for the open Pennsylvania Attorney General seat.
Earlier this month, Sunday, who is running against former Democratic Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, stated that he would follow Pennsylvania’s abortion laws after DePasquale vowed he would never prosecute a woman, or their doctors, for getting an abortion.
“The law is clear,” Sunday said earlier this week. “Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania. There is no set of circumstances that I would prosecute a woman for having an abortion.”
With reproductive rights and abortion access a main priority for many voters, this is a topic Sunday has danced around throughout the campaign. This has some worried that Sunday would potentially enforce a national ban in the commonwealth.
After the first debate on WGAL, Sunday told Spotlight PA that refusing to enforce a law, or potential abortion ban, that was passed by the legislature and signed by a governor goes against the will of the voters.
“I fundamentally believe that when you have a district attorney or an attorney general that would ever refuse to enforce a law based on their own personal feelings, then you’re usurping the will of 13 million Pennsylvanians,” Sunday said.
Sunday’s comments goes against what previous attorney generals have said in the past on protecting those rights.
Then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro issued a forceful statement vowing to protect abortion access after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
“I will stand firm in protecting a woman’s right to choose — and anyone who tries to threaten or undermine the fundamental freedoms of Pennsylvania women will have to go through the Office of Attorney General first,” Shapiro said.
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