Former President Obama spoke during a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia in support of Senate candidate John Fetterman. During the rally he noted that had the Democrats managed to hold on to the Senate in 2014 Senate then there would have been a completely different Supreme Court in place today. He continued to say that these elections are incredibly important, especially regarding the future safety of reproductive rights.
The 2014 midterms took place during Obama’s second term and it was then that the Republicans had managed to flip the Senate and keep their control of the House.
In 2016, Obama nominated now-Attorney General Merrick Garland for the Supreme Court to replace the late Antonin Scalia, a conservative justice. However, Senate Republicans did not accept Garland and kept the seat open until the Trump administration could fill the vacancy with a conservative justice. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority this past summer overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that had granted abortion rights.
Obama said that this is why the midterm elections matter a lot. He also spoke about the importance of abortion protection while rallying for Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro. He also criticized Republican Senate candidate Mehmet Oz for saying that healthcare decisions should be completely up to women, doctors, and local political leaders.
Obama also noted that Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano has said that abortions seeking an abortion, and doctors who provide one should be prosecuted.
