Pennsylvania: Pro-Life Gov. Tom Corbett Gaining on Pro-Abortion Tom Wolf

State   |   Andrew Bair   |   Aug 6, 2014   |   6:01PM   |   Harrisburg, PA

Pro-life Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, who has frequently been cited as one of the most vulnerable incumbent governors in the 2014 election cycle, is gaining ground, according to new polling.

A Magellan Strategies survey conducted for the Keystone Report found pro-life Corbett trailing his pro-abortion opponent Tom Wolf by 12 points among likely voters.

Earlier polls on the race showed him down 20 percentage points or higher.

pennsylvaniaThe shift in the numbers is echoed by a New York Times/CBS poll released last week showing the difference between the candidates to be 9 percent.

Governor Corbett has been a breath of fresh air for Pennsylvania since taking office in 2011. After years of pro-abortion administrations that turned a blind eye to the abuses of the abortion industry, including the horrors of Kermit Gosnell’s abortion center in Philadelphia, Corbett took action to protect women and their unborn children.

Following the direct recommendations of the Grand Jury report in the Gosnell case, Corbett signed a law ensuring abortion centers meet basic health standards.

Elections have consequences. And in Pennsylvania, gubernatorial elections have especially made the difference for women and unborn babies. The Gosnell Grand Jury report notes that under pro-life Governor Bob Casey, abortion centers were inspected. In the report, DOH official Janice Staloski states DOH’s policy under of his successor, pro-abortion Governor Tom Ridge, was “motivated by a desire not to be ‘putting up a barrier to women’ seeking abortions.” This mentality persisted in the administration of pro-abortion Ed Rendell. Gosnell, who was convicted last year of three counts of first-degree murder, did not have his Women’s Medical Society abortion clinic inspected for 17 years.

Does Tom Wolf want Pennsylvania to return to the days when the likes of Kermit Gosnell had virtually no oversight? Wolf’s website claims he “stands with Pennsylvania women.” How do women benefit from substandard, unsanitary facilities run by profiteers, like Gosnell, with a history of botched abortions and a willingness to kill unborn babies past the legal limit and even after birth? Women deserve better than that. And so do their unborn babies.

Governor Corbett has worked to empower Pennsylvania mothers-in-need through the life-affirming Real Alternatives program, a state program that helps fund pregnancy resource centers.

Just this summer, Corbett also signed “Chloe’s Law,” a measure designed to ensure parents receive accurate, evidence-based information about Down syndrome when receiving a prenatal diagnosis and are aware of the resources available to them and their child. [“Chloe’s Law” will provide expectant mothers with information about Down syndrome].

Some studies have shown as high as 90% of babies given prenatal diagnoses of Down syndrome are aborted. Hopefully, laws like this one will give hope to parents facing unexpected circumstances in pregnancy and diminish some of the societal preference toward abortion of children with special needs.

Governor Corbett also signed House Bill 818, which barred coverage of elective abortion in health plans sold in the Pennsylvania exchange created under Obamacare. Dozens of states have also passed similar measures and limits on taxpayer funding of abortion continue to enjoy broad public support.

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Due to his strong pro-life leadership, the National Right to Life Committee and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation have endorsed Governor Tom Corbett for reelection. By contrast, Tom Wolf is backed by NARAL, a radical pro-abortion group that opposes any and all limits on abortion.

Pennsylvania is a pro-life state. However, it is a state where Democratic voter registration exceeds Republican registration by a 50-37 percent margin. It is vitally important that pro-life Pennsylvanians educate their friends and families about where the candidates stand.