Today, Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02), North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) Chair Bobbie Richardson, and Jillian Riley, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, NC Director of Public Affairs, Tara Romano, Pro Choice NC, Executive Director and Ann Webb, ACLU of North Carolina, Senior Policy Council held a press conference highlighting how the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade is a direct result of Republicans’ decades-long war on reproductive rights.
Mitch McConnell admitted that a national abortion ban is ‘possible’. In North Carolina, U.S. Senate candidate and Congressman Ted Budd has made clear that he will vote to ban abortion with no exceptions, not even for rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders are pushing to reinstate a 20-week abortion ban
Click here to watch the full event.
“I serve in the U.S. House, where we have a razor thin majority. And with that majority, we have passed the Women’s Health Protection Act that would make Roe v. Wade the law of the land. But we do not have enough U.S. Senators to pass this and make it the law. We have the opportunity to do that here in North Carolina with Cheri Beasley, and the contrast could not be more clear with someone who is completely out of touch with the needs of women and families in this state and this country. Choice is on the ballot in November,” said Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02).
“Friday was a devastating day for women and families and the blame lays solely at the foot of the Republican Party. This decision is the direct result of Republicans’ unrelenting, decades-long, radical war on health care and the right to choose. Republicans like Congressman Budd and GOP leaders in Raleigh continue to prove how dangerous Republican control would be, and we must hold them accountable. Together, we will ensure that the Republicans’ extreme, anti-choice agenda is defeated this fall,” said NCDP Chair Bobbie Richardson.
“Abortion is still legal in North Carolina, but our access to abortion is hanging by a thread. This year, reproductive freedom is on the ballot. The future of abortion access not only for North Carolinians but the entire Southeast region is on the line in 2022. That means no politicians, no bans, no judges should block our personal medical decisions. It’s not over. We have strength in numbers and power in our united voices,” said Jillian Riley, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, NC Director of Public Affairs.
“The majority of people in this state and in this country support legal abortion access, yet elected officials continue to treat this critical and long-standing component of reproductive healthcare as a political football, a so-called ‘wedge’ issue to trade away in exchange for personal power and wealth. Abortion access is on the entire ballot, from the U.S. Senate seat to state lawmakers to district attorneys to officials on town councils and county commissions. In November, we can and will ensure that reproductive freedom will be protected in our state,” said Tara Romano, Pro Choice NC, Executive Director.
“The only reason abortion is legal and accessible in North Carolina today is because we have a Governor who supports access to abortion care, and we have just enough lawmakers in the General Assembly who support abortin access to protect our rights. But those margins are extremely tight. Unless we vote like our rights depend on it in November, everything will change in North Carolina in just a few short months. This is a moment for North Carolinians to send a clear message: we are moving forward, and we reject the idea of a backward-looking South,” said Ann Webb, Senior Policy Counsel at ACLU of North Carolina.
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