Murt's Social Conservative Views

There are about eight weeks until the 2018 General Election on November 6th.

Last week, as I waited for the train, PA Representative Tom Murt made his way down the station line offering literature from his office that provided some of the ways his office can help you, presumably me, deal with state government. These included free road maps, questions about the lottery, and PA Income Tax forms among a number of others.

As a resident of Upper Moreland Township I realized that I knew very little about PA Representative Tom Murt. I know a little bit about Tom Murt, the person. He lives in my neighborhood and by most accounts, is a nice guy. Surprisingly, I heard of a few personal encounters with Mr. Murt in which he was, I will call it, ‘animated’ when challenged directly regarding some of his policies. Not having witnessed either the good or the bad I realized that I should do some research and so, to the Internet I went.

As you may recall, I authored a piece regarding HB 2050 which Mr. Murt both sponsored and supported that prohibited abortion once there had been a diagnosis of Down Syndrome. Since this is, admittedly, only one bill that Mr. Murt was associated with I decided that I would try to find more information regarding what Mr. Murt supports. Interestingly, I came across the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Candidates Questionnaires from the 2012 and 2014 Elections and was surprised by some of his answers. For example, at the time, Mr. Murt said that he supported:

• Requiring an ultrasound be performed on a woman prior to abortion
• Making abortion illegal in all circumstances (in 2012 he allowed for an exception for the life of the mother, this was not an option in 2014)
• Amending the PA Constitution to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman
• Providing an exception on moral grounds for businesses to deny benefits such as contraceptives to employees or to deny benefits to same-sex partners of employees entirely.

Interestingly, it appears that Mr. Murt chose not to respond to the same questionnaire for the 2016 Election and it does not appear as though one has been published so far for the 2018 Election. Now, in fairness, this is limited in scope as it was asked by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, but it does reinforce something about Mr. Murt that I suspected, regardless of often being described as a ‘moderate,’ he is, in fact, a social conservative.

Mr. Murt very clearly does not represent the changing values of our community. According to a July Gallop poll, an overwhelming majority of Americans, 68%, do not want the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade. Similarly, a Gallop poll in May shows 67% of Americans support same-sex marriage. And, a 2012 CDC report shows that 62% of women aged 15-44 years use contraception. Mr. Murt’s opinions on these issues are very clearly stated, repeatedly, in the Archdiocese questionnaires as well as in his voting history.

With the political climate being what it is at the Federal level, electing state level individuals who reflect our values and beliefs is of even greater import than before. And, while I appreciate the access to road maps and lottery information, I would appreciate much more having a representative in office who would protect my rights as a woman and the rights of other marginalized members of our society.

It is no longer enough to elect someone who is a nice guy. It is time to pay attention to the details and elect someone who actually represents the majority of constituents.

This November, it is time to vote for Daryl Boling.