“I’m going to try to stop all of this. Any data that any other state tries to get on someone in Pennsylvania when it comes to reproductive freedom will be suppressed,” said Eugene DePasquale.
Protecting reproductive rights and access to abortion will be a key issue in Pennsylvania’s upcoming Attorney General election.
Democratic Attorneys General from all over the country are joining forces following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade just over two years ago, seeking ways to protect abortion access for those living in their home states or traveling there for the medical procedure.
Eugene DePasquale is the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Attorney General and pledged in a recent interview with The Keystone to continue to advocate for these protections.
“If a pregnant woman flees one of these right-wing authoritarian states and needs to come here, I will also protect her reproductive rights,” DePasquale said.
DePasquale first became a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2006 and then served as Auditor General from 2012 to 2020. He is running against York County District Attorney Dave Sunday for the vacant seat.
Sunday dodged questions about his stance on abortion access in an interview with ABC 27, saying he would “abide by the law regardless of my personal feelings.”
For DePasquale, the decision to protect abortion seekers in Pennsylvania is a personal one. DePasquale explained that his then-partner had an ectopic pregnancy before the birth of their eldest child. This is when a fertilized egg implants itself outside the uterus and causes a miscarriage.
In an ectopic pregnancy, an emergency abortion is necessary to prevent life-threatening symptoms such as internal bleeding or the spread of infection throughout the body.
“Before our oldest child was born, we had an ectopic pregnancy at 10 weeks. Anyone who knows what an ectopic pregnancy is knows that the fetus has no chance of survival, but technically it is still an abortion. This procedure is now illegal in Florida, Texas, Idaho, Utah and Oklahoma.
“You could be imprisoned for that in these states. I will protect the reproductive freedom of anyone who has to leave one of these states here in the country,” DePasquale said.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Earlier this year, residents from other states are responsible for the increase in abortion numbers in Pennsylvania after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision in 2022. The state saw a 41% increase in abortion requests from out-of-state residents in 2022, largely due to Ohio banning abortions after the sixth week.
DePasquale explained that there are two ways to protect reproductive health care: first, ensuring that procedures can be performed, and second, protecting the health information and data of those entering Pennsylvania.
“I’m going to try to stop all of that. Any data that another state tries to get about somebody in Pennsylvania when it comes to reproductive freedom, that information will be suppressed,” DePasquale said.
