Planned Parenthood Votes on Extreme Group’s Attempt to Distract from Tillis’ Anti-Women’s Health Record
For Immediate Release: June 24, 2014
Planned Parenthood Votes on Extreme Group’s Attempt to Distract from Tillis’ Anti-Women’s Health Record
WASHINGTON, DC — Planned Parenthood Votes released the following statement responding to an ad launched by an extreme group opposed to safe and legal abortion — the latest desperate measures by Thom Tillis’ allies to distract from his terrible record and agenda for women’s health.
Statement from Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President, Planned Parenthood Votes:
“This ad is more of the same from Thom Tillis’ allies who are trying desperately to distract from his record and agenda on women’s health. This is the same Koch-funded group that defended Todd Akin after he said that ‘legitimate rape’ cannot lead to pregnancy, and now they’re supporting Thom Tillis, who wants to outlaw safe and legal abortion, restrict access to affordable birth control, and cut off North Carolina women from preventive health care.
“What’s clear is North Carolinians won’t be fooled — and they’ve had enough of the backwards vision that Thom Tillis has for women and families. Planned Parenthood advocacy and political organizations are committed to making sure that voters understand that this election is a choice between the out-of-touch views of extreme politicians — and the values of Senator Kay Hagan and thousands of North Carolinians who are fighting to protect women’s health and rights.”
Over the weekend, Planned Parenthood Votes launched its volunteer voter education and engagement efforts in Raleigh. You can view the release here.
BACKGROUND:
Tillis wants to outlaw safe and legal abortion.
● As Speaker of the House, he led the charge to pass the deeply unpopular “Motorcycle Vagina bill,” a package of dangerous abortion restrictions that was inserted into an unrelated bill dealing with motorcycle safety. The law could dramatically restrict the number of health centers that provide abortion in North Carolina.
● An April poll from Elon University shows that in the wake of last summer’s attack spearheaded by Tillis, more people (44 percent) feel that state laws should make access to abortion less difficult compared with the 40 percent who said access should be made more difficult. Views have shifted most notably among women since a poll in September 2013; then, women were almost evenly split on the issue, whereas in April more women want fewer restrictions on abortion.
● Polls show 80 percent of North Carolina voters thought it was inappropriate to tuck abortion restrictions into a motorcycle safety bill, which was championed by Tillis; and they also soured on Governor Pat McCrory, who broke his campaign promise not to enact further restrictions on abortion.
● Tillis helped lead the charge to pass one of the most extreme, medically unnecessary mandatory ultrasound bills in the country — a measure designed to shame and judge women seeking an abortion. He called it “unfortunate” when then-Governor Bev Perdue vetoed the bill. The legislation was struck down in federal court, all while costing the taxpayers money in litigation costs.
Tillis believes the state has the right to ban birth control and opposes North Carolina women’s access to no-copay birth control.
● He supports so-called “personhood” amendments that could interfere with personal medical decisions about birth control, access to fertility treatment, management of a miscarriage, and access to safe and legal abortion if enacted.
● He opposes the Affordable Care Act, which has historic benefits for women — including access to no-copay birth control. Without the ACA, insurance companies could once again charge women more for their coverage and deny coverage for “pre-existing conditions” such as pregnancy.
Tillis voted multiple times to cut off North Carolina women from Planned Parenthood’s preventive health services, including affordable birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings.
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Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission.