To Be “for the People,” Gov. Wolf Should Break Ties with Abortion Industry

By Maria Gallagher
Legislative Director

As he takes the helm of state government, new Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf is promising a “government that works.”

Pennsylvania: A Pro-Life StateIn order to make good on that pledge, he will have to show his independence from the abortion industry.

It’s a tough task, given the fact that the nation’s largest abortion operation, Planned Parenthood, served on his transition team.

In addition, the man he nominated for Secretary of State, Pedro Cortes, has been sharply criticized for his failure to put abortionist Kermit Gosnell out of business when he had a chance. The grand jury report in the Gosnell murder case cited several instances in which the Department of State, which Cortes previously headed, failed to take action following revelations of trouble at Gosnell’s facility. Gosnell is now in prison after being convicted of the deaths of three full-term infants and in connection with the death of a female patient.

At his low-key inauguration, Wolf also pledged a government for the people rather than the special interests. Again, it will be difficult for him to fulfill his pledge as long as he maintains close ties with the abortion industry.

Pennsylvania made tremendous progress during Governor Tom Corbett’s administration in terms of holding abortion businesses accountable. As a result of a law signed by Corbett, abortion facilities in Pennsylvania must abide by the safety standards of outpatient surgery centers. They must also be subject to regular inspections.
Pennsylvanians will need to keep a close eye on the Wolf Administration to ensure that enforcement of abortion regulations does not take a giant step backward. Women’s health and safety depend on it.

Wolf has also promised to be an unconventional governor. That would mean not following in the footsteps of previous Governors Tom Ridge and Ed Rendell, whose policies were governed by pro-abortion politics. Consider this assessment from the Gosnell grand jury, regarding the decision of pro-abortion governors to stop inspecting abortion centers: “Better to leave clinics to do as they pleased, even though, as Gosnell proved, that meant both women and babies would pay.”

Let’s not have a replay of Ridge-Rendell. Let’s challenge the new governor to safeguard women and children through aggressive enforcement of abortion center regulations. Only then will Pennsylvania really achieve a government that works.

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