See below for information from the McAuliffe campaign on a press conference they held earlier this afternoon “on Glenn Youngkin and Republicans’ Plans to Bring Texas-Style Abortion Ban to Virginia.” As Terry McAuliffe said, “we will be a brick wall to protect women’s reproductive rights, and there’s quite a difference” between the Democratic and Republican tickets…Glenn Youngkin in July “was caught secretly on tape saying that when he is governor and he has the House that he will defund Planned Parenthood and he will ban all abortions” in Virginia (but, Youngkin added that he won’t tell voters what he’ll do, because then independent voters won’t vote for him). “He will bring the Texas-style law here to the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
- McAuliffe: “This is a horrible, draconian law. Also, it will be a a job killer. Glenn Youngkin will not only put women’s lives in danger, he will destroy the Virginia economy as we know it today…Nobody wants to be in a state with these type of draconian laws.”
- McAuliffe: “Glenn Youngkin wants to turn Virginia into Texas, we’re not going to allow it. And the Lt. Governor candidate, Winsome Sears, said specifically that she wants to bring that Texas law here to Virginia. Well folks, elections matter, and we are going to stop them and keep Virginia as an open and welcoming state.”
- Dem LG nominee Hala Ayala: “Here’s the bottom line, folks – Winsome Sears wants to turn Virginia into Texas when it comes to reproductive rights…Her declaration needs to be taken as more than just another one of her extreme right-wing talking points…Believe me, this is a pledge to strip every Virginian of their fundamental right to choose and to weaponize reproductive health care…A threat like this can’t be walked back, especially when my opponent has already made it clear she does not support abortion, even in cases of rape or incest…When someone shows us who they are, believe them…What’s Glenn Youngkin’s response to Winsome Sears saying the quiet part out loud?…Reproductive rights are on the ballot this November, and there’s only one ticket who will protect your rights…Winsome [Sears] and the Republican ticket are too extreme for Virginia, and neither Terry, Mark nor I will stand by and allow them to take us backwards.“
- AG Mark Herring: “Jason Miyares…has a laundry list of votes that tell us exactly what his plans would be for reproductive rights in Virginia. Jason Miyares voted to defund Planned Parenthood…He even voted against the Reproductive Health Protection Act, which repealed Virginia’s demeaning and stigmatizing mandatory ultrasound law and 24-hour waiting period prior to abortion…Texas’ abortion ban is a clear warning of what is at stake here in Virginia if any of the Republicans on the ballot are elected…In November, voters will have a clear and stark choice between my proven record of protecting Virginians and expanding our rights, and my opponent, extremist Jason Miyares, who would abuse the power of the office to try to roll back the progress…”
- Sen. Jennifer McClellan: “The Texas abortion ban is a stark reminder of what is at stake on the ballot this November… of how critical these races are, particularly with the Supreme Court’s failure to block that [Texas abortion] bill and with Roe in jeopardy.“
“Today, Democratic nominee for governor Terry McAuliffe, nominee for lieutenant governor Hala Ayala, and nominee for attorney general Mark Herring will hold a press conference in Richmond to discuss Glenn Youngkin and his fellow Republicans’ plans to bring a Texas-style abortion ban to Virginia. The statewide Democratic ticket leaders will be joined by Senator Jennifer McClellan – sponsor of the Reproductive Health Protection Act that recently became law – to talk about what’s at stake for Virginia women in this election.
Over the weekend, Glenn Youngkin’s right wing running mate Winsome Sears announced that she supports bringing a Texas-style abortion ban to Virginia. In July, Youngkin was caught on tape secretly promising in his own words to “go on offense” to ban abortions and defund Planned Parenthood if he is elected governor. Youngkin then admitted he is trying to hide his out-of-touch agenda from Virginia voters so that he has any chance of winning in November.
Terry has long been a champion of women’s reproductive rights and has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia and NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry successfully fought back against attempts to close all women’s health clinics in Virginia and kept the clinics open, and he vetoed multiple bills that would have defunded Planned Parenthood. Just as he was before, Terry will always be a “brick wall” to protect access to reproductive health care in the Commonwealth.
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