Kelly Ayotte Joins Ted Cruz on List of Most Influential Anti-Abortion “Icons”

For Immediate Release: Nov. 12, 2015

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Washington, DC -- Senator Kelly Ayotte this week was named one of the influential anti-abortion “icons” in America (one of only four sitting U.S. senators to make the list), putting her in the company of extreme anti-abortion and anti-women’s health Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). Ayotte recently tried to distance herself from Cruz despite the fact that there is little to no daylight between their records on women’s health.

Also included on the list are members of Operation Rescue, a group that has had members serve time in federal prison for attempting to bomb an abortion clinic and is affiliated with individuals who have murdered abortion providers. The list also includes the Center for Medical Progress’ (CMP) David Daleiden who worked with members of Operation Rescue in the now widely debunked smear campaign against Planned Parenthood. Ayotte has repeated talking points and untruths from Daleiden’s group in her campaign materials, and local news outlets are citing concern over the heightened rhetoric.

Statement from Jennifer Frizzell, Vice President of Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund

“Congratulations are in order for Kelly Ayotte, who joins the most anti-abortion, anti-women’s health extremists in the entire country in a recent list of ‘pro-life icons.’ She has made a name for herself by going to court against Planned Parenthood to eliminate constitutional protections for women’s health, voting to ban safe and legal abortion, and voting multiple times to restrict access to reproductive care, breast cancer screenings and STD testing for thousands of New Hampshire women at Planned Parenthood health centers. Ayotte’s own allies clearly aren’t going to let her sweep her anti-women’s health record under the rug.”

Senator Ted Cruz, listed at #10 on the list, has threatened to shut down the government over whether Planned Parenthood should be able to provide preventive services to its 2.7 million patients, over 14,000 of which are in New Hampshire.

Multiple polls show New Hampshire voters support safe and legal abortion:

• American Values Atlas that shows New Hampshire is actually more in favor of access to safe and legal abortion than the national average.

• A poll conducted this summer by Hart Research showed 66 percent of New Hampshire voters oppose defunding Planned Parenthood’s preventive health services, including 72 percent of Independents.

• Exit polls from 2012 show that New Hampshire is one of the most pro-choice states in the country.

• Another poll from Suffolk on Republican primary voters stating: "A slight plur­al­ity of the state’s 2016 GOP primary voters, 49 per­cent, describe them­selves as “pro-choice” on the is­sue of abor­tion, while 41 per­cent called them­selves “pro-life.”

A look at Ayotte’s record:

FACT:  Kelly Ayotte has an extensive record of voting against policies that would expand women’s access to the full range of health care services (including abortion), which include votes to defund Planned Parenthood, which in New Hampshire — in addition to providing thousands of breast exams and thousands with birth control — administered over 13,000 STI tests, nearly 2,000 Pap tests, and engaged in sex education and outreach to nearly 2,000 individuals in 2013.

• Senator Ayotte voted for a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks nationwide. [H.R. 36, Roll Call Vote 268, 9/22/15]

• Senator Ayotte voted against an amendment to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178), which would create a Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund to provide additional resources to existing grant programs that assist survivors of human trafficking. The amendment would strike the Hyde Amendment from the fund, which would prohibit federal dollars from being used to pay for access to abortion care. [S. Amdt. 301 to S. 178, Roll Call Vote 156, 4/22/15]

• Senator Ayotte voted against an amendment to the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2), that would have extended enhanced Medicaid reimbursement for primary care physicians,expanding it to include OB/GYN’s. It would have provided $500 million for the Title X family planning program and support training programs for women’s health nurse practitioners. Additionally, the “Women's Access to Quality Health Care” amendment would have removed a reference to a harmful provision commonly referred to as the Hyde Amendment. [S. Amdt. 1117 to H.R. 2, Roll Call Vote 140, 4/14/15]

• Senator Ayotte voted against the “Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act,” which was a legislative fix to the June 2014 Supreme Court ruling in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby. [S. 2578, Roll Call Vote 228, 7/16/14]

• Senator Ayotte voted against an amendment to the FY2014 Senate budget resolution, sponsored by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), that would “establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to protect women's access to health care, including primary and preventative health care, family planning and birth control, and employer-provided contraceptive coverage, such as was provided under the Affordable Care Act.” The amendment passed 56-43.[Roll Call Vote 64, S.Amdt. 438 to S.Con.Res. 8, 3/22/13]

• Senator Ayotte voted in favor of an amendment to, “create a point of order against any legislation that would provide taxpayer funds to the United Nations while any member nation forces citizens or residents of that nation to undergo involuntary abortions.”  [Roll Call 86, S.Amdt. 702 to S.Con.Res. 8, 3/23/13]

• Senator Ayotte voted for an amendment that would criminalize doctors and close family members who help young people access a safe and legal abortion. [S. Amdt. 292 to S. Con. Res. 8, Roll Call Vote 64, 3/22/13]