GOP Gov. Candidate: Women Should Be Charged With Murder For Violating Abortion Ban

Doug Mastriano, the Donald Trump-backed GOP nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, in 2019 agreed that women who violated a so-called fetal heartbeat abortion ban he was sponsoring should be charged with murder.

In an interview with radio station WITF that was unearthed by NBC News this week, the state senator was asked whether a woman “who decided to have an abortion, which would be considered illegal abortion, be charged with murder?”

“OK, let’s go back to the basic question there,” Mastriano responded. “Is that a human being? Is that a little boy or girl? If it is, it deserves equal protection under the law.”

“So you’re saying yes?” asked the interviewer.

“Yes, I am,” responded Mastriano, who has backed Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him and previously drawn backlash after being photographed wearing a Confederate uniform.

Listen to the audio here.

Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has supported former President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was stolen from him. (Photo: SOPA Images via Getty Images)

Mastriano this week claimed to conservative network Real America’s Voice that his views on abortion “are kind of irrelevant because I cannot rule by fiat or edict or executive order on the issue of life.”

“It’s up to the people of Pennsylvania,” he added. “So if Pennsylvanians want exceptions, if they want to limit the number of weeks, it’s going to have to come from your legislative body and then to my desk.”

Current polling suggests Mastriano faces an uphill battle in his race against Democratic opponent Josh Shapiro to replace Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...

• Marjorie Taylor Greene Likens Dems To Hogs, Wants Help Shooting Them Dead

• Republican Rep's Hot Take On Drug Seizures Has Everyone Scratching Their Heads

• Rep. Matt Gaetz Admits To Absurd GOP Priority If They Win Back House