Planned Parenthood Action Fund Endorses Health Care Champions to Represent New York in Congress
Contact: Jacquelyn Marrero, [email protected], 646-642-6682
For Immediate Release: Aug. 13, 2020 (Updated: Aug. 13, 2020, 11:32 a.m.)
NEW YORK — Today Planned Parenthood Action Fund announced endorsements in critical races for the U.S. House of Representatives, including pro-reproductive health advocates Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Jamaal Bowman (NY-16). Both congressional districts cover parts of The Bronx where communities, particularly Black and Latinx communities, have suffered from health care inequalities caused by decades of systemic racism and economic oppression.
The Trump administration and its allies have been hellbent on gutting the Affordable Care Act. They want to make it harder for Americans to access the basic health care they need. They attack abortion access and critical preventive care initiatives like Title X, the nation’s only dedicated family planning program, and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program. They even tried to use the coronavirus response bill to attack abortion access.
A recent poll found that voters in The South Bronx broadly support access to high-quality sexual and reproductive health care, including abortion. Bronx voters also agree that Congress should take action to address the issue of maternal mortality, which disproportionately impacts Black women due to bias in the health care system. The need to have strong leaders who will champion our health and our rights is clear.
Statement from Pascale Bernard, Vice President of Political Affairs and Community Organizing, Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund:
This November voters in The Bronx have a chance to elect candidates who are dedicated to protecting their sexual and reproductive health and rights. We are thrilled with Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s endorsement of Ritchie Torres and Jamaal Bowman, allies whose values align with New Yorkers wants and needs.
New Yorkers are done seeing the Trump administration and out-of-touch politicians try every trick in the book to chip away at health care access and safety net programs. We are ready for bold leaders who will fight back against these harmful policies.
Every day patients walk through the doors of Planned Parenthood of Greater New York for affordable, compassionate health care. Those patients, and all New Yorkers, need allies like Torres and Bowman to fight for access to health care and show true leadership in Congress.
The Trump administration’s attacks on abortion, birth control, and other reproductive care have spurred backlash across the country. A record-high 77 percent of Americans say they do not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned, and there is no state where making abortion illegal is popular. Those elected in 2020 to Congress and to the White House will improve access to reproductive health and rights across the country.
This announcement is part of the Action Fund’s continued endorsement of federal candidates committed to reproductive health and rights around the country.
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The Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund is the advocacy arm of PPGNY. The Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including issue advocacy, voter education, and grassroots organizing to promote Planned Parenthood's mission. The Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund is a non-partisan, non-profit organization affiliated with Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund.