Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, York) was elected in May of this year to the Senate seat for the 33rd district. It was a special election to replace Sen. Rich Alloway, who had just resigned. Mastriano was sworn in on June 10th, and immediately started focusing on one of his top priorities—pro-life issues. Specifically it was the “heartbeat” anti-abortion bill.
“I’ve been clear from the very beginning that the most important issue that we face in the Commonwealth and the nation is life—the right to life,” Mastriano told me during a sit-down interview in his Capitol office. “And if indeed that little person there growing up inside the womb is human, they should be protected. It’s troublesome to me that across the state and the nation that there are some species of animals that have more rights and protections than unborn babies.”
Mastriano suggested looking past all the emotion that has been building up in recent months and just focus on science. He says the science that supported pro-abortion thinking all the way back to the Roe vs. Wade court decision is outdated.
“We now know what’s going on in the womb. We can see it with 4-D imaging, with ultra-sounds. Are we doing the right thing?” he asked. “Clearly we are not. Science says that at conception, that is a distinct individual with its own DNA. Its own bio-system is developing…and who are we to decide whether or not to kill that little human?”
Sen. Mastriano says life is determined from a scientific and medical perspective by heartbeats. Someone is pronounced dead, he says, more times than not if their heart stops beating.
“Therefore, using science, and logic..and modern medicine..when you have a heartbeat, that’s a little life,” he reasoned.
And using that reasoning, Mastriano is partnering with Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Centre, Clinton) on the “heartbeat” bill. They are still getting sponsors for their respective measures from representatives and senators in preparation for a formal introduction in September or October.
“I’m heartened and honored to be partnering with Stephanie Borowicz in the House to push for a common sense, logical, feasible and supportable measure to defend life when there’s a heartbeat.”
Some people have very lengthy resumes. And then there is the resume of Doug Mastriano. He is a combat veteran who served in Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait. His regiment led the attack against Saddam’s Republican Guard. He served four years with NATO and deployed three times to Afghanistan. He taught at the Army War College in Carlisle. He’s an author. He has a doctorate and four master’s degrees. That’s really only part of it. And now a career in public service.
“After 30 years of military service, I took stock of my career and all the sacrifices and moves that come with military service,” he said. “And it really breaks my heart that I’m handing off the Commonwealth and the nation in worse shape than I got it from my father. I could not stand aside….Everybody who believes in life and doing the right thing needs to stand and fight to their dying day. And I’m here to stay. I’m here to fight the good fight for freedom as I did overseas and now it’s time to do it right here in Pennsylvania.”
