Campaigns & Elections
Fetterman and Oz tout support as abortion debate ramps up
Both U.S. Senate candidates received endorsements from abortion-focused groups on Friday.
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz Commonwealth Media Services and Doctor Oz for Senate
While many voters have inflation and the state of the economy on their minds heading into November’s midterm elections, another issue is permeating political discussions in Pennsylvania following a recent ruling from the Supreme Court – that being abortion.
After the high Court recently struck down the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that established a federal right to abortion, Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate candidates are wasting little time using the ruling to galvanize voters ahead of November’s general election.
Within hours of each other on Friday, the campaigns of Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz blasted out separate announcements looking to reinforce their respective stances on the issue by touting endorsements from two abortion-focused groups. But that’s where the similarities between the two end.
Oz, the celebrity physician backed by former President Donald Trump, picked up an endorsement from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s Candidate Fund on Friday, which pledged to spend $2.3 million in the coming months to frame candidates like Fetterman as being too “extreme” on abortion policy.
“Dr. Mehmet Oz has cared for tiny babies as patients. He knows how precious life is and is committed to defending it,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “John Fetterman is backed by the abortion lobby and believes abortion is ‘sacred’ and ‘non-negotiable,’ even painful, late-term abortions, right up to birth.”
Dannenfelser said Oz is “well equipped to speak to the scientific and medical facts about the humanity of the unborn and will be a strong advocate in Washington.”
Around an hour after Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America endorsed Oz, Fetterman announced an endorsement of his own from NARAL Pro-Choice America, a national abortion rights group.
In a statement, Fetterman vowed to fight to protect abortion access if elected to the Senate. “The right to an abortion is non-negotiable, and it’s a disgrace that the Supreme Court shot it down last week,” said Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s incubent lieutenant governor. “When I’m your next U.S. Senator, I will vote to eliminate the filibuster and protect the right to an abortion. This has been settled for 50 years and is just plain common-sense. I will vote to protect abortion rights, and my opponent, Dr. Oz, will not. It’s that simple.”
Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said voters can count on Fetterman “to boldly fight for abortion rights and access.”
“As extremist state lawmakers across the country race to enact bans on abortion and Congressional Republicans signal they’re on board for a nationwide ban, it is more critical than ever that we elect leaders to the Senate who represent the values of the 8 in 10 Americans who support the legal right to abortion,” said Timmaraju.
Fetterman was endorsed by Planned Parenthood Action Fund earlier this month, and Planned Parenthood Votes, a national political committee, pledged to spend $3 million to attack Oz over his own stance on abortion.