Democratic candidate for PA Attorney General says he’ll ‘squash’ other states’ attempts to get PA abortion data

“I will look to squash all of that. Any data that some other state is trying to get about someone in Pennsylvania when it comes to reproductive freedom, that information will get squashed,” Eugene DePasquale said. 

Protecting reproductive rights and access to abortion will be a critical issue in Pennsylvania’s upcoming election for Attorney General. 

Democratic attorney generals from around the country are coming together following the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade a little more than two years ago and are finding ways to protect abortion access for those living in or traveling to their home states for the medical procedure. 

Eugene DePasquale is Pennsylvania’s Democratic nominee for attorney general and he promised to continue advocating for those protections in a recent interview with The Keystone. 

“If a pregnant woman is fleeing one of these right-wing authoritarian states and has to come here, I’ll protect their reproductive rights as well,” DePasquale said. 

DePasquale first became a member of the Pennsylvania House in 2006 and then served as the Auditor General from 2012 to 2020. He is running against York County District Attorney Dave Sunday for the open seat. 

Sunday dodged questions on his positions regarding abortion access in an interview with ABC 27, saying he would “follow the law regardless or what my personal feelings are.”

For DePasquale, the decision to protect those seeking abortions in Pennsylvania is personal. DePasquale explained that prior to their oldest child being born his partner at the time experienced an ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus and causes a miscarriage. 

Those suffering from an ectopic pregnancy need to have an emergency abortion to prevent life threatening symptoms such as internal bleeding or an infection spreading throughout their body. 

“Before our oldest was born, we had an ectopic pregnancy at week 10, and anyone that knows what an ectopic [pregnancy] is, the fetus has no chance to survive, but it’s still technically an abortion. That procedure is now illegal in Florida, Texas, Idaho, Utah, and Oklahoma. 

“You could be incarcerated in those states for this. Anyone that has to leave one of those states in the country here, I’ll protect their reproductive freedom,” DePasquale said.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier this year that out-of-state residents are behind the increase for abortions in Pennsylvania after the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The commonwealth experienced a 41% increase in out-of-state residents seeking abortions in 2022 thanks in large part to Ohio banning abortions after 6 weeks. 

DePasquale stated that there are two ways to protect reproductive healthcare – making sure the procedures are able to happen and protecting the healthcare information and data from those coming into Pennsylvania. 

“I will look to squash all of that. Any data that some other state is trying to get about someone in Pennsylvania when it comes to reproductive freedom, that information will get squashed,” DePasquale said.