Abortion isn’t technically on the ballot in Pennsylvania this November, but it’s an issue Democrats are still hoping will help them win the election in this important swing state. Elizabeth Moro, the Democrat candidate vying for a seat in the state’s 160th house district, told Salon she’s had interactions with over 10,000 voters and abortion is a “huge issue.”

“I have had women when I'm at the door, kind of hold my hand and say, ‘Tell me we're going to be okay,’” Moro said in a phone interview with Salon. “It’s not only just on the national front, where we're we're dealing with the possibility of a total abortion ban, but in the state of Pennsylvania, we are one vote away.”

Pennsylvania’s state house legislature leans very narrowly Democrat while Republicans control a majority of the state senate. If Democrats lose control of the house during this election, they fear state Republicans will continue to advance an anti-abortion agenda. In 2022, Republicans in Pennsylvania’s state Senate tried to rush an amendment to the state constitution saying that it did not guarantee rights related to abortion. As it stands, Pennsylvania allows abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation, or later if there is a medical emergency that necessitates pregnancy termination. Still, many people worry what a Republican-controlled Pennsylvania would mean for reproductive rights.

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“If we lose control of the House, and the Republicans control both the Senate and the House, they may try to do what they tried to do last time they had total control,” Moro explained. “Doctors have come out to canvass, and do door knocks with my campaign, because they know that I will support them because this affects the doctor's ability to do good health care.”

However, it might not just be the future of reproductive rights in Pennsylvania that hinges on this election, but the future of reproductive rights throughout the United States in general. Political analysts say the next presidential candidate will need the state of Pennsylvania’s votes to take the White House, which has made the Quaker State a key focus of this........

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