The following is from the September 2, 2026 issue of dcDIGEST:
For the Republicans, abortion is never settled law. To secure their confirmations, several current Supreme Court Justices made deceptive statements about abortion and then overturned Roe. Now they say abortion law belongs in the states, but we can’t trust that. They still want to regulate abortion on a national level.
Speaker Mike Johnson, the most powerful member of the House of Representatives, began 2026 by crowing, “For the first time since Roe v. Wade was reversed, we have the White House, the Senate, and the House all working together to deliver meaningful and historic pro-life victories.” Johnson declared, “in the election cycle coming up this year, we’re going to send some more pro-life champions here to Congress.” They can’t wait to cement their majority with a reliable anti-abortion voter like Peter Oberacker.
Oberacker is the Trump-endorsed candidate because during his term as state senator representing the 51st district, Oberacker consistently voted against NYS bills to safeguard women’s reproductive rights. His record speaks volumes:
- The Public University Emergency Contraception Education Act: S.1683 requires public universities to develop, produce and distribute materials related to emergency contraception; Oberacker voted NO.
- The New York State Abortion Clinical Training Program Act: S.1438, establishes a clinical training program through the Department of Health (DOH) for the purpose of training healthcare practitioners in the performance of abortion procedures and related reproductive healthcare services; Oberacker voted NO.
- The Protection of Health Information: S.929, regulates how companies collect and sell healthcare information, and establishes data privacy standards and provides additional protections related to consent and deletion of private health information; Oberacker voted NO.
- The Permitting alternative labeling for medication abortion prescription drugs: S.36A, permits prescription labels for medication abortion prescription drugs to include the name of the prescribing health care practice instead of the name of the prescriber at the prescriber’s request; Oberacker voted NO.
- Authorizing pharmacists to administer contraceptive use injections: S.1703, sponsored by Senator Lea Webb, permits pharmacists to administer injections for contraceptive use as prescribed by a licensed provider acting within the scope of their practice; Oberacker voted NO.
Peter Oberacker’s votes did not prevent these safeguards from becoming law, because in the NYS Senate, he is in the minority. If he is elected in NY-19 and becomes part of Mike Johnson’s majority in the House of Representatives, there is no chance that he will support a woman’s right to choose. Additionally, Oberacker has pledged his “unwavering support” for Trump. If elected, he will be a vote against reproductive freedom and a vote for whatever Trump wants.
Anyone who wants abortion to be safe and legal in the United States must vote against Peter Oberacker for NY-19 Congressional Rep. To save abortion rights, we must re-elect Josh Riley.