Hundreds Rally For Abortion Rights In Philadelphia With Democratic Gov. Nominee Josh Shapiro, Planned Parenthood
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has thrust Pennsylvania's governor's race into the national spotlight. The two men running, Josh Shapiro and Doug Mastriano, are on completely different sides of the debate.
Chopper 3 was there as Shapiro rallied in Old City Saturday afternoon with Planned Parenthood.
"It's amazing to me that in 2022, that we are going back to the 70s," Amy Michael, an abortion rights advocate, said.
Hundreds of people rallied outside of the National Constitution Center Saturday. At issue, the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protected abortion rights federally.
"This is nothing short of a national healthcare crisis," Dayle Steinberg, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, said.
"We are here to move forward as a country, not to go backwards and I think it's just basic human rights at this point that are under attack by those in highest power," Jessalyn Rabito, an abortion rights advocate, said.
While it is still legal for a woman to have an abortion in Pennsylvania, the issue is now front and center in the governor's race. Republican Doug Mastriano is against abortion and said he would ban it if elected. On Saturday, he tweeted: "SCOTUS has put the issue of abortion in the hands of voters, where it belongs."
Democrat Josh Shapiro echoed that sentiment, but from the opposite side
"When I announced my campaign in October in Pittsburgh and Abington, I spoke about reproductive freedom," Shapiro said. "I spoke about the importance of having a governor that defends it. It went from theoretical to reality."
"You wouldn't be telling men what they can and cannot do with their bodies," Debbie Stewart, an abortion rights advocate, said. "We have every right in the world to make our own decisions."
Shapiro's opponent, Mastriano, released a statement on Friday.
In it, he said: "Roe v. Wade is rightly relegated to the ash heap of history. As the abortion debate returns to the states, Pennsylvania must be prepared to lead the nation in being a voice for the voiceless."