Doug Mastriano Said Women Who Get An Abortion Should Be Charged With Murder

Far-right Pennsylvania GOP nominee for governor Doug Mastriano commented in 2019 that women who violated a proposed abortion ban should be charged with murder.

“Ok, let’s go back to the basic question there,” Mastriano said during an appearance on Pennsylvania radio station WITF. “Is that a human being? Is that a little boy or girl? If it is, it deserves equal protection under the law.”

When pressed on if he were saying women should be charged with murder if they obtained an abortion at 10 weeks, Mastriano answered, “Yes, I am.”

Mastriano, at the time, sponsored “The Heartbeat Bill,” which banned abortions at the detection of a heartbeat, which often occurs before a woman knows she’s pregnant.

The Pennsylvania conservative responded by brushing off his past comments.

“My views are kind of irrelevant because I cannot rule by fiat or edict or executive order on the issue of life,” he said on Real America’s Voice. “It’s up to the people of Pennsylvania. So if Pennsylvanians want exceptions, if they want to limit the number of weeks, it’s going to have to come from your legislative body and then to my desk.”

Mastriano’s opponent, Lt. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pennsylvania), has voiced his support for current state law, which restricts abortion after 24 weeks in most cases.

“Doug Mastriano has said his number one priority is banning abortion with no exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother — and now, it’s clear he also wants to prosecute women for murder for making personal healthcare decisions,” Shapiro’s campaign said in a statement. “Mastriano has the most extreme anti-choice position in the country — and there is no limit to how far he would go to take away Pennsylvania women’s freedom.”