Media Highlights Momentum for Abortion Rights as Planned Parenthood Advocacy and Political Organizations Launch Largest Ever Electoral-Program
For Immediate Release: Aug. 18, 2022
The historic $50 million investment comes at a tipping point for reproductive freedom as abortion rights are on the line
Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, as first reported by the Associated Press, Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations launched the 2022 electoral program “Take Control,” which represents the groups’ largest ever investment in an electoral cycle. The $50 million program will help elect champions for sexual and reproductive health care and rights, including abortion, up and down the ballot and all across the country. It will reach up to 6 million voters across the initial nine target states: Georgia, Nevada, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Jenny Lawson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes, highlighted what’s at stake for abortion rights this election cycle:
“This is an election about power and control. The Supreme Court and anti-abortion rights politicians have stripped people of their constitutional right to abortion and the ability to make personal health care decisions. Should these out-of-touch politicians gain or stay in power, they will continue doing everything they can to ban all abortion, throw health care providers and pregnant people in jail, and endanger the health and lives of pregnant people across the country. This is not what the American people want. This November, voters are going to take control by electing reproductive health care champions, up and down the ballot, who trust us to make our own decisions about our bodies, our lives, and our futures.”
The media took note of the magnitude of this moment for abortion rights, the political power of Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations across the country, and the implications on the midterm elections on abortion access:
Associated Press: Planned Parenthood to spend record $50M in midterm elections
The historic proportions of the midterm campaign, when less money is usually spent, were made possible by a torrent of money raised after the decision by the high court’s new conservative majority, touching off a tectonic shift in the politics of abortion. Now, for the first time, Republicans who have long campaigned against abortion and Roe v. Wade will face voters on an issue that is no longer hypothetical and carries real life consequences.
Washington Post: Planned Parenthood to spend record $50 million on midterm elections
The record investment underscores how much reproductive rights advocates believe abortion will be a motivating issue for voters in this year’s midterm elections, a few months after a Supreme Court decision in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that for nearly half a century guaranteed the right to an abortion in the United States.
Fortune: Planned Parenthood is spending $50 million—the most ever—on midterm elections
The results of governor races have the potential to upend reproductive rights at the state level. In Michigan, for example, a 1931 abortion ban is currently on the books but neutralized by a court injunction. This year’s race between Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer and Republican Tudor Dixon threatens its status. Dixon has already promised to support anti-choice legislation to cross her desk if elected.
It’s not just state level races that hang in the balance this November. The President’s party historically fares poorly during midterms, and this year’s elections could flip Senate control from Democrat to Republican. The Senate is currently split evenly along party lines, with Vice President Kamala Harris’ vote tipping the balance toward Democrats.
As Republicans move towards an election season rife with internal disagreements and mixed public opinions on exceptions in abortion bans such as instances of rape and incest, many rightwing lawmakers are finding it increasingly difficult to implement cohesive abortion policies.The phenomenon has been starkly illustrated by Kansas’s referendum a few weeks ago, where the usually Republican state voted to keep abortion protections in its constitution, providing an unexpected boost from red state America to the abortion rights movement.
Abortion rights proponents are bolstered by a hefty victory for abortion-rights protections in Kansas. In a ruby-red state, the proposed amendment to restrict abortion rights failed 41-59 percent, stunning the state's senators.
The Hill: Planned Parenthood to spend record $50M ahead of midterm election
According to a recent USA Today poll, abortion is the second highest issue on voters’ minds when asked to name the most important issue affecting their vote for Congress in November.”
Esta financiación histórica para la campaña de mitad de mandato, en la que normalmente se gasta menos dinero, es posible gracias al la gran cantidad de dinero recaudado tras la decisión de la nueva mayoría conservadora de la Corte Suprema, que provocó un cambio tectónico en la política del aborto.
La campaña es una respuesta a la decisión de la Corte Suprema que puso fin al derecho al aborto el pasado 24 de junio. Esa sentencia puso fin a cinco décadas de vigencia de la legalidad del aborto en el país y dio suelo jurídico a otros estados para encaminar proyectos de leyes retrictivas a poco meses de las elecciones de medio término en el Congreso. Lo que significa en principio es que la Corte dejó en manos de los estados la decisión sobre cómo regular la práctica médica desde el momento en el embarazo en que es posible hacerlo.
EFE: Lanzan una campaña millonaria de apoyo al aborto en los comicios legislativos en EE.UU.
Así, la inversión irá sobre todo a seis estados donde el aborto es legal pero cuenta ya con muchas restricciones: Georgia, Wisconsin, Pensilvania, Arizona, Carolina del Norte y Michigan, y tres en los que es legal y accesible: Nevada, Minnesota y Nuevo Hampshire. En total, el programa buscará llegar a seis millones de votantes a través de campañas voluntarias y pagadas, llamadas telefónicas, correo, televisión y publicidad digital.
Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.
| Paid for by Planned Parenthood Votes, 123 William St, NY NY 10038. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. |