From Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC:
RICHMOND —Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC and ProgressVA supporters and volunteers will gather outside the fundraiser for gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli with Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Monday to say they’re not fooled by Cuccinelli’s attempts to appear moderate on issues important to Virginia women and their health. Most recently, Cuccinelli told voters that he has a “flat position” on birth control and that he won’t touch contraception if elected governor in November — despite the fact that his record confirms he believes the opposite.
Participants will hold bright pink “Keep Ken Out” signs and will be joined by Planned Parenthood Votes’ human-sized birth control pill pack named Pillamina. They will remind attendees of Marco Rubio’s co-sponsorship of the much-talked-about Blunt amendment, which would have allowed bosses to refuse to cover birth control in their health care plans.
“We aren’t fooled by Ken Cuccinelli’s attempts to appear moderate and Virginia voters shouldn’t be either. We know where he really stands and that’s why we’ll be calling attention to his campaign fundraiser with Florida Senator Marco Rubio – a leading opponent of women’s health in the Senate. When it comes to women’s health, Cuccinelli and Rubio are two peas in a pod,” said Cianti Stewart-Reid, executive director, Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC.
Cuccinelli was the first attorney general in the country to file a lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act and argued that opponents of the law should be willing to “go to jail” to fight the benefit which requires insurance companies to cover the full cost of birth control, just as they would other preventive care. Cuccinelli was also a co-sponsor of a so-called “personhood” bill. If enacted, Cuccinelli’s legislation could have interfered with a woman’s personal medical decisions about birth control, access to fertility treatment, management of miscarriage, and access to safe and legal abortion.
WHO: Planned Parenthood Virginia PAC and Progress VA supporters and volunteers.
WHAT: A rally to help Keep Ken Out of the governor’s mansion.
WHY: To hold Ken Cuccinelli accountable for his dangerous record and agenda for women’s health.
WHERE: Richmond Marriott Hotel; 500 E Broad St., Richmond, VA 23219.
WHEN: Monday, September 16 at 11 a.m.
Like Cuccinelli, Senator Rubio has a record of extreme opposition to women’s health:
· Rubio co-sponsored the much-talked-about Blunt amendment, which would have allowed bosses to refuse to cover birth control in their health care plans.
· In July, Rubio published an op-ed where he called the Affordable Care Act — a law that has already benefitted 765,000 Virginia women who are receiving preventive care like birth control and cancer screenings with no additional co-pay — “disastrous.”
· Rubio has volunteered to be the lead sponsor on an extreme and dangerous nationwide 20-week abortion ban.
· Rubio supports cutting off women from Planned Parenthood’s preventive health care services such as birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings, saying he has “problems with what Planned Parenthood does.”
· Rubio refused to support the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. While Cuccinelli was one of only three state attorneys general to refuse to support its reauthorization, Rubio voted against the bipartisan measure to combat domestic violence and sexual assault – twice.
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