Underwood, Marter have vastly different views on abortion in 14th House District race
Democratic U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood and Republican challenger James Marter are on opposite sides of virtually every high-profile political issue — but they may be furthest apart on abortion.
During a joint candidate interview with the Daily Herald on Tuesday, Underwood, a Naperville resident who’s seeking a fourth term in Congress, said she supports a woman’s right to make decisions about abortion, contraception and related matters.
Marter, a software consultant and library board member from Oswego, said he staunchly opposes abortion, without exception. Protecting life is a holy commandment, he said.
The candidates were asked about their stances on abortion, immigration and other issues during the roughly one-hour discussion Tuesday. It can be viewed at dailyherald.com.
Abortion always has been a controversial and divisive political issue, and it became even more so in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the historic 1972 Roe v. Wade ruling and gave states the right to regulate abortion. Many have since done so.
Underwood, a registered nurse, said she supports giving people access to full reproductive health care, contraception and services like in vitro fertilization. She also voiced support for legislation that would allow Americans to travel to other states for any purpose, including health care.
Underwood raised a concern about health-related privacy violations, too, such as surveillance of the data recorded by apps women can use to track their periods.
She went on to criticize the anti-abortion proposals in Project 2025, a political initiative published by a conservative think tank that aims to reshape the federal government if Republican Donald Trump wins reelection to the White House. It rejects the notion of abortion as health care and proposes banning transporting abortion medication via the U.S. Postal Service, among other steps.
Underwood accused Trump and Marter of supporting Project 2025. While celebrating the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025 and has said states should decide whether abortion should be legal.
Marter didn’t address his stance on Project 2025’s anti-abortion proposals. He said his opposition to abortion under any circumstances is based on “God’s law.”
“I’m more concerned about my personal salvation than scoring political points with the pro-abortion lobby and activists,” Marter said. “I go by God’s word and God’s truth on this.”
Marter, who previously ran for Congress in 2018, 2020 and 2022 and for U.S. Senate in 2016, said during his 2022 campaign he would support a federal abortion ban.
On Tuesday, he said Roe v. Wade illegally created law and needed to be reversed.
Marter said ultrasound images of fetuses should be made available to women seeking abortions “so they can see what we’re talking about here.”
He also voiced support for pregnancy centers, which try to persuade women considering abortion that adoption or keeping a baby are better options, and providing information about child care and child support to pregnant women.
“I’m 100% pro-life,” Marter said. “I’m not going to apologize for that.”
Underwood accused Marter of wanting to control women.
“He thinks that his faith and his belief should dictate federal law in this country,” she said. “These decisions should be made by women. Jim Marter doesn’t want that.”
Underwood called Marter dangerous because of his views on abortion. Marter responded by saying that kind of rhetoric has led to the assassination attempts on Trump and needs to stop.
The 14th District includes parts of Kane, Will and five other counties. Election Day is Nov. 5.