WILL MCCAIN DELIVER STRAIGHT TALK ON WOMEN'S HEALTH?
For Immediate Release
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Contact: Emilie C. Ailts
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado
Office: 303-394-1973 ext 12
eailts@ProChoiceColorado.org WILL MCCAIN DELIVER STRAIGHT TALK ON WOMEN’S HEALTH? NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Calls for Presidential Nominee to Explain Position on Women’s Health Care Issues DENVER (Oct. 2) -- As Sen. John McCain arrives in Denver to speak at a “Women’s Town Hall” event, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Executive Director Emilie C. Ailts released the following statement questioning the presidential nominee’s record on women’s health: “We have serious doubts that Sen. McCain will provide straight talk about his position on critical health care issues that affect the women of Colorado -- from his 22 votes against increasing access to birth control to apparently thinking there’s nothing wrong with women losing the right to privacy in 23 states, including Colorado, if he gets his way and Roe v. Wade is overturned. “When Colorado women go to the voting booth this fall, they’ll consider Sen. McCain’s answers to five critical questions: - During a values forum with Pastor Rick Warren, you said you believe human rights begin at conception. Does that mean you support Colorado’s initiative to grant rights at the moment of fertilization?
- Your running mate expressed opposition to emergency contraception in an interview with Katie Couric. In Colorado, hospitals are required to provide rape survivors with information about emergency contraception in the emergency room. Do you support this law that improves women's access to emergency contraception?
- Colorado passed a law last year establishing standards for comprehensive sex education to be taught in our schools. Do you intend to contradict the will of Colorado and the dozen-plus other states that have refused to accept federal “abstinence-only” funding by continuing to invest millions of taxpayer dollars in President Bush’s failed “abstinence-only” programs that censor information about birth control and condoms, and put our teens at risk for STDs and unintended pregnancy?[i][i]
- You have said that you think Roe v. Wade should be overturned[ii][ii] and you've voted for abortion bans with no exceptions for rape, incest or a woman’s life or health.[iii][iii],[iv][iv],[v][v] Colorado, for example, is one of 15 states where a pre-Roe ban on most abortions could be enforced if Roe falls. Under a McCain Presidency where Roe is overturned, in which states should the right to privacy exist and in which states should politicians have control over personal, private medical decisions?
- You voted to end the federal Title X health care program, which provides millions of women with health-care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings.[vi][vi] Why, if you're opposed to abortion, do you vote against birth control and other programs that would actually reduce the need for abortion?
“Until Sen. McCain and his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, answer these questions about how their policies will affect critical women’s health issues in Colorado, these so-called ‘women’s events’ serve as nothing more than a smokescreen meant to distract voters from McCain and Palin’s abysmal anti-choice records.” NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado and NARAL Pro-Choice America are committed to making sure voters know Sen. John McCain’s position on reproductive health and reproductive rights. For more information, please visit www.MeetTheRealMcCain.com. NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado (NPCC) is the political leader of the pro-choice movement in Colorado. NPCC has more than 30,000 supporters statewide and works to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive health choices, including preventing unintended pregnancies, bearing healthy children and choosing legal abortion. ###
[1][i] Lautenberg/Menendez amendment to Child Custody Protection Act, S.403, 7/25/06. [1][ii] Ann Althouse, Rudy & Mitt Hem & Haw on Abortion, N.Y. TIMES, Feb. 24, 2007. [1][iii] Boxer amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 12/7/95; Feinstein amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 12/7/95; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 12/7/95; vote to override veto of “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1833, 9/26/96; Feinstein/Boxer amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1122, 5/15/97; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1122, 5/20/97; vote to override veto of “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, H.R.1122, 9/18/98; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.1692, 10/21/99; Feinstein amendment to “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.3, 3/12/03; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.3, 3/13/03; “Partial-Birth” Abortion Ban Act, S.3, 10/21/03. [1][iv] Harkin motion to table Nickles amendment to FY’88 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.2173, 9/30/87; Harkin motion to table Exon amendment to FY’89 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.4776, 7/7/88; Harkin motion to table Humphrey amendment to FY’89 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.4776, 7/7/88; Exon amendment to FY’89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 7/27/88; Chiles motion to table Weicker motion to insist that the Senate retain Exon amendment to FY’89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 9/13/88; Chiles motion to table Weicker motion to insist that the Senate retain Exon amendment to FY’89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 9/13/88; Nickles motion to table Bradley motion to disagree with Dornan House amendment to FY’89 District of Columbia appropriations bill, H.R.4776, 9/30/88; vote to strike provisions in FY’94 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.2518, 9/28/93; Nickles motion to waive Budget Act with respect to Chafee point of order to strike language in Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act, S.1357, 10/27/95; Smith motion to instruct on Balanced Budget Reconciliation Act, S.1357, 10/27/95; Kerrey amendment to Balanced Budget Act of 1997, S.947, 6/25/97. [1][v] Conte amendment to FY’84 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.3913, 9/22/83. [1][vi] Weicker motion to table Helms amendment to FY’89 Labor, HHS, and Education appropriations bill, H.R.4783, 7/25/88; motion to invoke cloture on Family Planning Amendments Act, S.110, 9/26/90.
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