Congressional Candidate Ehasz Talks About Abortion, Other Issues At Town Hall Meeting

Democratic Congressional candidate Ashley Ehasz reaffirmed her staunch pro-choice abortion stance and answered questions on a variety of other issues Thursday night during a town hall meeting at Doylestown Borough Hall.

Speaking before an audience of more than 150, the Bensalem Township resident and U.S. Army veteran – who is looking to unseat three-term Republican incumbent Brian Fitzpatrick as U.S. Representative in the First Congressional District – spoke for about five minutes and then expansively answered questions for another 45 minutes from both those in the audience and residents who tuned in to a livestream.

The queries were in general non-adversarial, with perhaps the hardest question coming when an audience member asked Ehasz if she favored any limits on abortion.

“That decision needs to be between a woman and her doctor,” responded Ehasz, who piloted an Apache attack helicopter during her time in the Army and if elected would be the first female graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to serve in Congress.

“Late-term abortions are exceedingly rare,” she continued. “The vast majority happen early on. Politicians should have no role in determining if and when a woman has an abortion.”

Earlier in the event, Ehasz said the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Roe v. Wade was an insult to many veterans – both men and women – many of whom had just returned home from serving their country.

“It caused an outpouring of grief from many I had served with,” she noted. “That they came home to be made second-class citizens is really disturbing to me. It’s very upsetting to see them take away these critical health care decisions from people willing to fight and die for this country.”

Ehasz said it’s time for change, saying Fitzpatrick “has not been on the right side of history and has not stood for the values of this district.”

Democratic Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, who spoke for a few minutes before introducing Ehasz, also criticized the incumbent for his non-support of the American Rescue Plan Act. Inflation Reduction Act and other issues. Fitzpatrick did not respond to a request for comment.

“Are we going to lift up women and girls and make sure their rights are not harmed? Yes, and Ashley is the person for that,” said Dean, who represents the bulk of Montgomery County. “I can’t wait until she wins and serves alongside me.”

Ehasz said that if Republicans gain control of the House and Senate, she believes they will try to enact an abortion ban on the federal level and quite possibly also move to restrict voting, contraception and gay rights.

“Undoing 70 years of civil rights legislation is what they will come for next,” she said.

Among her top priorities if elected would be to codify voting and reproductive rights and help struggling families to “make sure folks can afford to live with dignity here.”

“I want to make sure young families can get started and young folks aren’t buried in debt as they are trying to get their lives established.”

On her general approach to governing,  Ehasz said she  “would always lead with the issues and meet people where they are and how they feel.”

Asked a question about foreign policy, she responded that she greatly admires President Biden’s diplomacy first approach.

“If you’re going to put people in harm’s way, you’d better have a damn good why,” Ehasz emphasized. “Can we get there through diplomacy? That should always be the first step.”

If elected, the challenger said she has committed to holding more town halls.

“Four a year, one a quarter,” Ehasz said. “Live and no filtered questions. Democracy is only a word unless we participate in it and protect it.”

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