Doug Mastriano's views on abortion to criminalize doctors and women go beyond position of many anti-abortion groups
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Women who have abortions in Pennsylvania should be criminally prosecuted. That's what the Republican candidate for governor, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, said in 2019.
KDKA-TV political editor Jon Delano has more on what exactly Mastriano said.
Shortly after Mastriano introduced his heartbeat bill to prohibit abortion from the moment a fetal heartbeat was detected, he was interviewed on WITF, a public radio station in Harrisburg.
Mastriano: "You want to take away the rights of that baby, you're OK with murder just because we're stronger and smarter.
Question: "It is murder in your eyes?"
Mastriano: "Yes, it absolutely is."
Mastriano has always said abortion is murder, but when pressed on whether a woman who chooses to have an abortion should be prosecuted criminally for murder, the Republican candidate for governor was equally clear.
Question: "You can give me a yes or no on this. Would that woman who decided to have an abortion, which would be considered an illegal abortion, be charged with murder?"
Mastriano: "OK, 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 in the law."
Question: "So you're saying yes?"
Mastriano: "Yes, I am."
"There's really no new news here. Doug Mastriano has made taking a strong pro-life position a hallmark of his campaign in the primary and general election," says Republican political strategist Mike DeVanney, who is not working for Mastriano.
DeVanney says Mastriano's view that women should be prosecuted for an abortion will be used by his Democratic opponent, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, but is perfectly consistent for Mastriano.
"It plays into the narrative that Josh Shapiro has cast of Doug Mastriano and that is the idea that he holds extreme positions. So, in that respect, this is something that plays in the Democrat's favor," says DeVanney. "However, I don't think this is anything new. Doug Mastriano taking a very strong hard pro-life position is something he's been very consistent on."
Democratic political strategist Mike Mikus, who is not working for Shapiro, says Mastriano may be consistent but it's his extremism that will turn off women of all political stripes.
"Even people who consider themselves pro-life, anti-abortion, whatever you want to call it, it's just too far for them. And to win this race, he's going to have to do well in the suburbs of Pittsburgh and the suburbs of Philadelphia," says Mikus. "With a position like this, I don't see how he does it."
Mastriano also would criminalize doctors who perform abortions.
Question: "You just said you consider it murder. What would the penalty for a physician that induced or performed an abortion after a heartbeat was detected? What would it be?"
Mastriano: "So it goes back down to the courts. If it's ruled that that little, that little person is a baby, a human being, then that's murder."
Mikus says this is an extreme view out of step with Pennsylvania voters.
"They may be personally pro-life. They may oppose abortion on a personal level, but when it comes down to throwing people in jail, I think the vast majority of voters are opposed to that, whether it's the doctor or the mother," says Mikus.
In May, a number of pro-life groups, including the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops addressed a letter to state lawmakers, noting:
"Women are victims of abortion and require our compassion and support as well as ready access to counseling and social services in the days, weeks, months, and years following an abortion," they wrote. "As national and state pro-life organizations, representing tens of millions of pro-life men, women, and children across the country, let us be clear: We state unequivocally that we do not support any measure seeking to criminalize or punish women and we stand firmly opposed to include such penalties in legislation."
While Mastriano is at odds with these pro-life groups, DeVanney says voters may appreciate his no-nonsense approach.
"This is a guy who tells it like it is. There is not a lot of nuance. I don't think he hides from the issues. This is a very closely held conviction for him," DeVanney says.
Whether voters agree with Mastriano on this issue, we'll find out in just six weeks.
The abortion issue has become more important in all the state races because the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade means abortion policy will be set by the next governor and state legislature.