Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is campaigning for re-election with a promise to fight for women’s ability to have their nearly fully-formed unborn babies aborted in brutal dismemberment abortions.
Wolf released a new pro-abortion campaign ad this week as the Pennsylvania Senate considers Senate Bill 3, PennLive reports. The legislation would prohibit brutal dismemberment abortions that tear nearly fully-formed unborn babies limb from limb while their hearts are beating and ban abortions after 20 weeks when strong scientific evidence indicates unborn babies can feel pain.
“I’m going to veto Senate Bill 3 if it gets to my desk,” Wolf said in a statement Monday. “We have to make sure that women in Pennsylvania have the right to make their own decisions about their health care issues.”
The bill appears likely to pass the state Senate, but it is unclear if there are enough votes to override Wolf’s veto.
In his new campaign video, Wolf used the tragic story of a woman whose unborn baby girl was diagnosed with a fatal genetic abnormality at 20 weeks of pregnancy. Karen Agatone and her husband chose to have their daughter, their first child, aborted at 21 weeks of pregnancy. They said they had their unborn daughter aborted because they did not want her to suffer.
“A week before, we had been out to buy a crib for her,” Agatone said. “We had no idea that something could go so horribly wrong for her … this could happen to anybody.”
She praised Wolf for promising to veto the legislation, saying every woman should be able to choose to abort their unborn babies past 20 weeks of pregnancy.
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Wolf also described the dismemberment abortion ban as “a vile assault” on women.
“So I want to be clear,” Wolf said. “This legislation is a disingenuous and bald-faced attempt to pass the most extreme ant-choice legislation in this country.”
Wolf and liberal news outlets have been describing Senate Bill 3 as extreme; but in comparison to the rest of the world, the United States’ laws are radically pro-abortion. The U.S. is one of just seven countries that allow abortions for any reason after 20 weeks – a fact confirmed by the Washington Post fact checker in October.
The legislation also has strong public support.
“A statewide poll showed that the vast majority of Pennsylvanians support a ban on brutal dismemberment abortions. In fact, the support was even higher among women,” said Maria Gallagher, legislative director for the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation, when the bill passed a House committee last week. “A ban on this alarming practice is long overdue.”
Gallagher said about 1,550 babies are killed in Pennsylvania every year in dismemberment abortions. State Department of Health reports indicate that nearly 400 unborn babies also are aborted past 20 weeks annually.
A handful of states also have passed dismemberment abortion bans, which are the brainchild of the National Right to Life Committee.
The bill also is modeled, in part, after the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which 16 states have passed into law. The legislation prohibits later-term abortions after 20 weeks as medical advancements push the line of viability earlier in pregnancy and as substantial medical evidence indicates unborn babies at this stage are capable of experiencing pain.
Wolf has close ties to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion business in America, and appointed one of the abortion chain’s board members as his chief of staff. He also volunteered as an abortion clinic escort for Planned Parenthood and received strong support from the abortion industry during his election campaign.
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