by John Cole, Capital of Pennsylvania-Star
June 26, 2024
SPRINGFIELD — A Republican candidate for U.S. Senate stands in front of a sign reading “Strengthening Pennsylvania Families,” David McCormick announced his campaign’s “pro-family agenda” during a visit to Delaware County on Wednesday. He unveiled a plan that supports in vitro fertilization (IVF), school vouchers and social media bans for minors.
“America cannot be strong if our families are weak,” McCormick said. “And if our families are in crisis, America will fall, and we cannot let that happen.”
McCormick said legislation is needed to make contraception more accessible and affordable, adding that he supports giving families a $15,000 tax credit for fertility services such as in vitro fertilization.
The issue of in vitro fertilization entered the national political discussion in February when an Alabama court banned the procedure. Alabama Legislature passed a law on the resumption of activities in March.
Senator Bob Casey crushed the ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court for a hazardous decision, saying it would not have been possible without overturning the Dobbs ruling Roe v. Wade.
Casey is currently on statewide route emphasizing the “fight for rights” in the upcoming elections and often criticizing McCormick’s Statement of Support for Dobbs ruling on the trail, in attack adsand fundraising emails.
Casey’s campaign has frequently cited comments McCormick made during the 2022 U.S. Senate election. debate where McCormick said in response to a moderator’s question that he believes there are “very rare cases where there should be exceptions for the life of the mother,” but did not mention exceptions for rape or incest. During his current campaign for US SenateMcCormick said he is pro-life but “supports exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.”
McCormick did not mention abortion, Roe v. Wadeor Dobbs’ decision during his speech on Wednesday. But later that day, he posted a video on social media claiming Casey’s ad misrepresented his stance on abortion.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party has sharply criticized McCormick for his stance on abortion.
“David McCormick’s record makes it clear that he will not defend the right of Pennsylvania women to make decisions about their own families,” he said. TaNisha CameronPennsylvania Democratic Party spokesman. “He has called the repeal of Roe v. Wade a ‘tremendous victory,’ supports a ban on abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and refuses to commit to supporting Senate legislation to protect access to in vitro fertilization.”
As part of the plan unveiled Wednesday, McCormick said the government should promote adoption services by making the adoption tax credit created by the 2017 Trump tax cuts fully refundable. He also wants Medicaid to cover postpartum care for a full year after giving birth in every state, but he did not specify whether that would be for care for the mother, the child or both.
On the topic of child care costs, McCormick said he supports federal aid programs that encourage states to make it easier for low- and moderate-income families to access child care from faith-based and community-based organizations. He also wants to create a tax-free savings account that families could exploit to pay up to $10,000 a year for child care costs, make the employer tax credit for paid family and medical leave eternal and double the child tax credit.
McCormick has also expressed support for school vouchers. The son of Pennsylvania public school teachers, McCormick said he supports a federal tax credit for contributions to scholarship funds.
“Parents should have the right to choose the school that is best for their child, rather than being forced to attend schools that do not meet expectations simply because of where they live,” McCormick said. “We should be funding student success, not systems that fail.”
McCormick called on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to expand education vouchers in the state and said he supports The Act on the Choice of Education for Children federal level, which provides scholarships to elementary and secondary school students. He accused Casey of not supporting the legislation because he was “beholden” to teachers unions.
Casey’s campaign did not immediately respond to McCormick’s request for comment on the allegation.
McCormick did not take questions from the press, but during a Q&A with the conservative commentator Mary Catherine HamMcCormick stressed that he believed the education system needed to change.
“We have to shake things up,” he said. “You’re not going to shake things up gradually; you have to shake things up in a big way.”
McCormick said his plan would create competition among schools and that the best schools would come out on top, while schools that aren’t good enough would either “fix themselves or disappear, which is what they should do.”
“It’s going to be hellishly destructive,” McCormick said. “And that’s the way it has to be.”
Another policy he endorsed Wednesday was banning children under 16 from using social media, pointing to statistics that showed it led to depression and anxiety among minors. He argued that Congress was failing in that area and called for a bipartisan solution to protect minors.
“It’s a risky business to involve government in regulating access to information, but I think we’re approaching a tipping point,” McCormick said.
He said banning children from using social media was a “sensible step” and compared it to laws banning minors from smoking, drinking alcohol and possessing some weapons.
Latest polls showed Casey, who is seeking a fourth term in the U.S. Senate, leading McCormick by several points, while Cook Political Report assesses the race as more democratic.
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