FACT CHECK: Pat Toomey Wants to Ban Safe, Legal Abortion in Pennsylvania

Washington, DC -- In an editorial board meeting with PennLive today, Pat Toomey reportedly said that he seeks a “middle ground” when it comes to abortion. What he forgot to mention is that for Pat Toomey, a “middle ground” means seeing Roe v. Wade overturned. Pat Toomey is one of the most extreme anti-abortion, anti-women’s health Senators in Congress. He voted 7 times to defund Planned Parenthood, including voting in favor of a government shutdown to defund the health care provider. He supports banning safe, legal abortion in Pennsylvania, and even jailing doctors who provide abortion.

A majority of American voters support safe, legal abortion: Recent nationwide polling commissioned by the Public Leadership Institute found that American voters, by a margin of 69-to-27, support a woman’s constitutional right to safe, legal abortion.

FACT: Pat Toomey does not seek a “middle ground” when it comes to abortion. He is one of the most extreme anti-abortion Senators in Congress.

Pat Toomey has a 0% rating on the Planned Parenthood Action Fund Scorecard, voting repeatedly to deny the full range of reproductive health care options to women.

Pat Toomey is as extreme as it gets when it comes to access to abortion. Toomey supports putting doctors who perform abortions into jail. He shares this position with Donald Trump.

Pat Toomey wants to ban safe and legal abortion and said he would support the repeal of Roe v. Wade. He’s even shirking his constitutional duty by joining with fellow Republicans in refusing to consider President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee –– while he says he’d support any of Donald Trump’s listed Supreme Court nominees. An overwhelming majority of Pennsylvania voters are opposed to Toomey and his fellow Republican senators blockading the nominee.

Toomey thinks Roe. v. Wade was “wrongly decided.”

Toomey cosponsored and voted for the 20-week abortion ban bill that would criminalize doctors and could lead to five-year jail sentences for doctors who violate the ban. Any doctor found in violation of any of the provisions of the bill would be subject to a fine, a prison term up to to five years, or both. The bill also required minors who are victims of rape or incest to first report the rape to law enforcement officials and supply documentation to a doctor before being able to access abortion.

Pat Toomey has voted to block patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood health centers seven times –– including a vote in favor of shutting down the entire federal government over funding for Planned Parenthood services.

Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.