School rules key to GOP agenda
From rural representatives to their candidate for governor, Pennsylvania Republicans are carrying out a full culture war over matters of gender identity and sexual orientation.
Bills and campaign ads in recent months have focused on purported threats to children, especially in the form of sexual education and expanded recognition of gender identities. The push comes as fellow GOP officials in other states have moved to restrict teachers’ abilities to discuss the topics with students.
In a planned bill he introduced recently, gubernatorial hopeful Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Adams, said he’ll seek a ban on “gender transition surgeries” in those under 18 years old.
The practice that advocates call gender-affirming surgery – cosmetic surgeries sometimes sought by transgender people – is exceedingly uncommon among teenagers and is typically delayed until adulthood. Still, Republicans across the country have led a charge to ban the practice, with Mastriano describing gender-affirming care as an “experiment” and part of a “fringe progressive ideology.”
Mastriano’s colleagues in the General Assembly have sought to restrict other areas of transgender life, as well: One bill, vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf in July, would have banned transgender girls and young women from playing school sports.
Schools have become a key battleground for the conservative culture war – just months after a similar concerted effort to restrict teaching on racial issues and history.
Last month, state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-Clinton, proposed a bill to enshrine “parents’ rights in education.” The bill would ban any instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation through sixth grade and ensure parental access to children’s full health records.
While the bill’s text is vague, similar laws in other states have prompted political clashes – and even student walkouts – when administrators imposed restrictions.
Several states have established laws to limit gender and sexual discussion in schools. Recently, students in Virginia protested a state proposal to require parental approval before students can use the names and pronouns with which they identify.
Comparable efforts in Pennsylvania haven’t progressed as far: Borowicz’s bill is awaiting attention in a House committee, and Wolf’s veto remains as a barrier until a new governor takes office next year.
Wolf challenges amendments
Wolf has renewed his fight against a slate of reforms that could enshrine GOP policy preferences in the state constitution, with a new court filing last week intended to stop them.
Republican lawmakers passed a package of changes in July intended to rewrite the state’s highest document. The bill – a combination of several earlier proposals – would deny a right to abortion, ban state funding of any abortions and allow lawmakers to more easily roll back regulations, among other changes.
By passing the plans as amendments, lawmakers would send them for a vote by the public and bypass Wolf’s veto.
Wolf has fought a legal battle against the combined amendment since its passage, arguing that the decision to combine them into one sprawling bill violates an existing constitutional rule that requires legislation to cover one topic at a time.
Wolf’s lawsuit to stop the amendment is awaiting a hearing in the state’s Commonwealth Court.
Polls show solid Dem lead
With elections just over a month away, the latest polls show a continuing edge for Democrats seeking statewide offices.
In a Marist poll conducted in late September, Pennsylvanians who said they’re certain to vote next month favored Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman over physician Mehmet Oz by 51 to 44%.
The same poll found voters overwhelmingly backing Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro for governor, with a 12% lead over Mastriano.
Several other polls released in late September show similar results: a consistent lead for Fetterman and a solid lead – sometimes in the double digits – for Shapiro.
New push to ease abortion access
New bans in nearby states have created surging abortion demand in Pennsylvania – and in response, a few lawmakers are launching a far-fetched effort to expand access.
A proposal last week by several Democratic representatives would enable more medical workers to provide abortions, opening the procedure to registered nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, and physician assistants.
“Pennsylvania has only 17 freestanding abortion clinics, and 87% of our counties do not have a single health-care clinic that provides abortion care,” the lawmakers said in a memo. “Bans in neighboring states have forced patients to travel to get abortion care, making it more difficult than ever for our health-care providers to meet the demand.”
If a bill is submitted, it will have effectively no chance of passage in a GOP-dominated Legislature. But the proposal – along with similar efforts to expand access – shows that some pro-abortion lawmakers are pushing back in the face of new bans.
Democratic lawmakers have sought support for related efforts, including one to remove a testing requirement that can delay abortions.
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s overturn of abortion rights, many states have put total bans into effect. That has prompted efforts in Democratic-led states to expand access, and in some cases enshrine the right in state constitutions.
Ryan Brown covers statewide politics for Ogden Newspapers. He can be reached at rbrown@altoonamirror.com.