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PA-13: Boyle Reaffirms Position on Abortion in MSNBC Interview

After winning the Democratic nomination in PA-13, Brendan Boyle sat down for an interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd.

The State Representative attributed his victory over three opponents, including former Congresswoman and Clinton in-law Marjorie Margolies, to his middle-class message.

“Our message, the fact that I focused on income inequality and what I call the forgotten middle-class,” Boyle responded when asked by Todd about what he felt lead to his victory.

Boyle also cited his campaign’s ground game.

Todd then transitioned to Boyle’s views on abortion and the heat he took in the Democratic primary on the issue.

“I’m pro-choice,” Boyle said. “I support Roe versus Wade.”

Boyle was attacked by his opponents on the abortion issue repeatedly during the Democratic primary and even after his victory NARAL Pro-Choice America released a critical statement following Boyle’s victory.

“Brendan Boyle spent much of this campaign tap dancing around votes he took that would throw roadblocks in front of women seeking reproductive health care for one reason only: He knows those positions are losing ones,” they wrote.

“I’m pro-choice,” Boyle answered. “I support Roe versus Wade.”

Boyle went on to tell Todd, “I think my positions on my votes on these issues have been mischaracterized.”

He explained that some of the votes in question were related to the case of Philadelphia Dr. Kermit Gosnell, an abortion clinician who was sentenced to life in prison for murder.

“Had there been inspections two women who ultimately died would have been alive today,” Boyle stated.

The Democratic nominee also expressed his belief that the potential shift from Allyson Schwartz, the last female PA representative in Congress, to a male Congressman may have contributed to the dissatisfaction of women’s groups.

“I also recognize this seat was held by a very able and capable female Congresswoman, there were two very strong female candidates in the race,” Boyle said. “So if you’re part of the D.C. insider groups and want to support a woman [getting] elected and you don’t want to choose between two of the leading women, attacking the guy that surged first is probably a good way to help both of them and I think that had more to do with it than anything else.”

Boyle bested Marjorie Margolies, Val Arkoosh, and Daylin Leach for the Congressional seat in PA-13 and garnered 41% of the vote.

14 Responses

  1. The Boyle Brothers are very smart. They take polls to se what’s popular in there districts. Kevin was pro-life and was getting killed on the phone polls so he sent literature to change people’s minds about him. I don’t think big brother can help him out for not showing up to work to vote. 252 missed votes and counting. The best he charges the state and tax payers his meal allowance and over night stay. THAT’S STEALING MY FRIEND. YOU ARE A DISGRACE to your district. Now you want to run for 2 positions. You and your brother are both losers

  2. Yo Jules, God forbid Boyle doesn’t do the Irish jig every time baby is aborted.

  3. VOTNG RECORD means more than rhetoric. Not convinced.He knew what he was voting for.Rules were in place to inspect clinics before the Gosnell debacle. The Health Department did not do its job.
    Watch closely. The only consolation is that he no longer can vote with the Republican bloc on this in PA.
    BUT what about in CONGRESS? Legislatures have to stay out of this and leave decisions to patients and their doctors.

  4. I hope Brendan will be more careful in Congress. He may very well believe that his votes were to protect women, but mostly what that shows is that he can be manipulated by the “pro-life” gang who, quite openly, across the nation, and with the help of groups like ALEC, are moving away from discussing ending abortion to legislation that
    makes it difficult and often almost impossible for women to get very safe, early abortions.
    If he is truly pro-choice, he needs to make a commitment to listen to pro-choice advocates before he casts votes so that he doesn’t accidentally and unnecessarily restrict access to abortion. No legislator should trust the stated intent of legislation, esp. when it is proposed by those who almost always have an opposing view.

  5. Why are pro-choicers attacking a guy for voting to make abortion safer in our state for women? What ever happened to “safe, legal, and rare”?

  6. I’m willing to give B. Boyle the benefit of the doubt and watch him carefully in his new job.

    However, if and when he casts a single anti-choice vote from the US House, a primary challenge should follow.

  7. I don’t listen as much to candidates’ words as follow their actions as elected officials. State Rep Boyle has proven by votes and sponsorship to be anti-choice, even as he keeps saying he is pro-choice. He is a hypocrite, and this may be the first time (since before 1974) that I do NOT vote for the Democratic nominee in November. I hope Allyson chooses to run as an independent for reelection.

  8. I have no idea who “Desperate and Pathetic” is. I have no idea who Colleen Kennedy is. I am not a regular reader of this blog. So with the benefit of no facts to pollute my opinion, I have to say that the rant posted by “Desperate and Pathetic” is a representation of everything that is wrong about online discussions.

  9. Colleen Kennedy – Let’s be clear about your level of influence and ability to identify successful candidates. The applicable number is zero. Your only political skill seems to be picking losers. You are a young blogger with no experience other than being Daylin Leach’s former intern, and a former intern for the Obama campaign. Beyond those experiences as an intern, you have no public policy or political experience. Yet you act as though you are an expert in all policy and political matters you write about.

    That is probably why you supported a losing candidate in every contested race. If that was your goal: congratulations, you are great at identifying and supporting losing candidates.

    PA Gov. – You supported Allyson Schwartz or Rob McCord (and you hated Tom Wolf, the only Keystone Politics contributor who refused to support him). That worked well for you. Schwartz and McCord finished in very distant 2nd and 3rd places, losing to Wolf by more than 40%.

    13th Congressional – You supported Daylin Leach. That worked well for you. He finished in a very distant 3rd place.

    8th Congressional – You supported Shaughnessy Naughton in her race against Kevin Strouse. She lost.

    PA House – You supported Erin Molchany in her race against Harry Readshaw. Your candidate lost by 20%. You supported Billy Smith in his race against Margo Davidson. Your candidate lost. You supported Jared Solomon in his race against Mark Cohen. Your candidate lost.

    Any other races you lost? Any contested races where you supported the winner?

    That is at least 6 losses and 0 wins. You have a great idea of the pulse of Pennsylvania Democrats. Perhaps that is why nobody important takes you seriously, even as a blogger.

  10. People involved in the abortion rights decision by SCOTUS in January 1973, and who have supported it, use the term “Roe v Wade” when citing the landmark case. Given that Mr. Boyle TWICE has taken to using the full vernacular of ‘versus’ makes me suspect he thinks Wade is the name of the man who impregnated Roe! Mr. Boyle was also not endorsed by Planned Parenthood of PA because his voting record in the state legislation speaks to his views better than his answers on a questionnaire or to a reporter!

  11. I would like to respectfully point out that the attacks on Boyle’s reproductive choice record are legitimate. Quite recently, Boyle voted for SB 732, now known as Act 122. It closed five clinics, without any justification from its legislative cosponsors as to what it does to make the remaining clinics safer. In fact, no legislator has cited any instances that they visited a clinic or have testimony from a medical professional that it was necessary or not directly harmful to the rights of women to reproductive choice.

    He also was the prime sponsor of a bill that never made it out of committee because it is so completely extreme. HB 1314, a bill he proposed in April 2011, called for surgical privileges of all physicians performing abortions at a hospital within a short distance of their facilities. This is a clear attempt to limit the reproductive choices of low-income women in rural parts of the state. And worse, he uses the Gosnell house of horrors defense for all of these various votes, when in fact, a young girl almost died last year because he limited her access to a safe clinic.

    More Kermit Gosnell incidents will happen, and Boyle will be one of those responsible for the harm these people inflict. There’s a reason he hasn’t fought for stronger buffer zone laws, something that we KNOW would have prevented at least one of the Gosnell victims from seeking Gosnell’s care. He takes his cues from those who draft TRAP laws, plain and simple.

  12. His “statements” are at odds with his many anti-Choice votes over the years, and aren’t worth spitting on. And then, he thinks the Ladyfolks are mad because a Man won the seat? How Patronizing! The little twerp who is the Union Bosses’ lackey has a lotta nerve, and no sense at all. Watch him lose the general by saying something Tea-Bagger stupid in September.

  13. Another bought-and-paid-for errand boy for Johnny Doc, too. Just what the 13th District doesn’t need.

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