Planned Parenthood Action Fund Congratulates Ed Markey for Victory in Mass. Special Election
For Immediate Release: June 25, 2013
“The Planned Parenthood Action Fund rallied our supporters to get out the vote for Ed Markey, because we know how important it is to have another champion for women’s health in the Senate.” – Cecile Richards.
WASHINGTON, DC – Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards congratulated women’s health champion Ed Markey for his victory in the Massachusetts Senate special election this evening. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Ed Markey in March and ran a multi-layered campaign to educate Massachusetts voters about what was at stake for women’s health in advance of tonight’s special election. The candidates’ positions on women’s health played a critical role in this election, with numerous polls reporting Markey leading among women, including a recent Republican/MassLive.com/WSHM-CBS 3 poll that found Markey leading by 24 points.
“Tonight, voters in Massachusetts put their faith in women to make their own health care decisions and in Ed Markey to fight for them,” said Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. “While the Gomez campaign worked overtime to mislead voters about his positions on birth control and access to safe and legal abortion, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund worked double time to make sure voters knew the truth when they went to the polls. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund rallied our supporters to get out the vote for Ed Markey, because we know how important it is to have another champion for women’s health in the Senate.”
In the final days leading into the election, the Action Fund, together with its independent expenditure committee, Planned Parenthood Votes, made more than 72,000 calls and sent two pieces of mail to 74,300 households. You can view the mail pieces here: http://bit.ly/1acjl6a; and here: http://bit.ly/13M8N8J. In advance of the primary on April 30, supporters and volunteers knocked on 2,100 doors and made 13,000 calls in support of Markey.
Last week, nearly 4,000 Massachusetts voters participated in a telephone town hall meeting, sponsored by Planned Parenthood Federal PAC, with Ed Markey, Cecile Richards, and Marty Walz, the president of Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts.
“The election results clearly demonstrate that women’s health remains a key priority for Massachusetts voters,” said Martha (Marty) Walz, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts president. “During the campaign, Gabriel Gomez dodged questions about where he stands on issues important to Massachusetts women and families. In contrast, Ed Markey has consistently stood up for women and their right to make their own health care decisions. The election results show that voters trust Ed Markey to protect women’s health. He will be a tireless champion for women and their families in the Senate.”
Congressman Markey has received a 100 percent rating from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund for his votes in the U.S. House of Representatives to oppose legislation that would have restricted access to safe and legal abortion, and for his votes to support comprehensive sex education, birth control access, and funding for Planned Parenthood. Congressman Markey supported passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the landmark health care law that includes historic new benefits for women, including access to birth control without a co-pay as well as a number of other preventive health care services. During congressional debate on the ACA, Congressman Markey opposed the Stupak-Pitts amendment that would have effectively banned health coverage of abortion in the new health insurance marketplaces.
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Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.
Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund (PPAF) is the civic and political arm of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts. Formed in 1984, PPAF believes that working within the political process is critical to advancing PPLM’s mission to increase access to sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education for women, men, and families across Massachusetts.