The Quickie: PP Kentucky Launches Six Figure Electoral Ad Campaign
For Immediate Release: Sept. 19, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: PP Kentucky launches electoral ad campaign, GOP infighting threatens government shutdown, and AZ initiates a ballot amendment petition.
PP KENTUCKY LAUNCHES SIX FIGURE ELECTORAL AD CAMPAIGN: This morning, Planned Parenthood Action Kentucky launched a six figure ad campaign focused on what’s at stake for abortion rights in the 2023 Kentucky elections. The first set of ads, “Wrong,” “Control,” and “Bans,” highlight Gubernatorial candidate Daniel Cameron’s support for Kentucky’s total abortion ban which has no exceptions for rape and incest; his willingness to let states prosecute doctors and nurses for providing essential health care; and his eagerness to ban funding for birth control.
“Abortion is a winning issue in Kentucky,” said Tamarra Wieder, Kentucky State Director for Planned Parenthood Action Kentucky. “Since the Dobbs decision, we’ve watched voters speak out and make clear with the defeat of Amendment 2, that they do not want politicians making decisions about their bodies, families, and health care, or prosecuting nurses and doctors for doing their jobs. But anti-abortion politicians like Daniel Cameron refuse to listen. Instead, he continues to attack our reproductive freedoms and threaten to further erode our access to basic health care.
“This is a pivotal moment for abortion rights in our state. That’s why we’re making a historic investment to ensure that voters know exactly where candidates stand and what’s at stake this November. We’re meeting Kentuckians where they are: on their phones, online, YouTube, social media, and more. Extremist, anti-abortion candidates should take these first ads as a warning — when you come for Kentuckians’ rights, they will come for you at the polls.”
REAL HOUSEMEMBERS OF CONGRESS: Last week, on the Real Housemembers of Congress, Kevin from California’s party was a mess. The fighting. The bickering. The drama. They can’t seem to get it together and we’re nearing a government shutdown. In previous seasons, this is usually the time that Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s friend group would be accusing Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ friend group of not wanting to work together, and vice versa. But Kevin is so disorganized that they’re nowhere close to presenting a united front. Even over the weekend, Kevin tried to get it together by proposing a continuing resolution, but it hasn’t stopped the fighting within the friend group. A key issue stirring up the chaos in Kevin’s friend group: Abortion.
Anti-abortion Housemembers packed must-pass government spending bills with unpopular sexual and reproductive health restrictions, setting new cast members already fighting to return next season up for tough recastings. They played themselves. (But yikes, will that reunion episode be juicy).
As Politico reported, they didn’t vote on the agriculture appropriations bill because some members didn’t want to be on the record voting for more restrictions on medication abortion. What will happen on next week’s episode? More drama, that’s for sure
ARIZONA FOR ABORTION ACCESS LAUNCHING PETITION COLLECTION THURSDAY: This week, the campaign to put abortion on the ballot in Arizona starts its next phase: the collection of nearly 400,000 voter signatures by next July. On Thursday, Arizona for Abortion Access will hold a press conference in Phoenix to mark the launch of its petition field program. Speakers will include campaign chair Dr. Candace Lew; Dr. Jill Gibson, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Arizona; Rev. Dr. Samantha Wilson, a Unitarian Universalist minister and abortion storyteller; and Chris Love, Planned Parenthood Arizona senior advisor.
Arizona for Abortion Access’s press conference will begin at 10 AM Arizona Time (1 PM ET) Thursday. Members of the press can RSVP here for more information, including a livestream link.