The NC Majority Fund, the campaign committee of the Senate Republican Caucus, has allied itself with Larry Norman, Republican candidate for Senate District 18, who recently said in a questionnaire with Wake Weekly that he supports “sterilization” of women. Here is the full quote:

We must do more to encourage people who are not willing to support and raise children, not to have them. I am opposed to abortion, but I am not opposed to better education for children to learn to prevent pregnancies through contraceptives or sterilization. [WAKE WEEKLY]

Despite Mr. Norman’s shocking statement, the NC Senate Majority Fund is funding mail pieces on his behalf. Sterilization has an incredibly negative history, in North Carolina and across the country, as it has been used to control women of color and other underrepresented people. It is shocking that Larry Norman has publicly supported this position knowing the great harm it has caused.

“We cannot accept comments that advocate for the practice of sterilization, especially given that sterilization has been used to terrorize women of color and other minoritized communities,” said Sarah Crawford, Democratic Nominee for Senate District 18. “Mr. Norman is advocating for policies that not only oppress minoritized populations but control them in one of the most heinous of ways.  Does Senator Phil Berger and his hand-picked Republican candidates also support sterilizing women? I am disgusted that no one in the Republican party has come out against these statements. Right now, their silence can only be seen as support.”

The Crawford campaign is calling for Senator Berger, the Republican Caucus and the NC Majority Fund to denounce Larry Norman and the practice of forced sterilization.