See below for video and highlights from this morning’s call – with Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, DPVA Chairwoman Susan Swecker and Delegate Cia Price – regarding how VA GOP US Senate nominee Hung Cao “would override the will of Virginians and support a national abortion ban ahead of early voting.” DPVA adds:
“As Virginians head to the polls and cast their ballots in the U.S. Senate race, they should know about Senator Kaine’s record of fighting for reproductive freedom and Hung Cao’s dangerous anti-choice record. Senator Kaine is the lead sponsor of the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom for All Act, which will restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, and the Women’s Health Protection Act.
In stark contrast, Hung Cao said in a questionnaire in 2022 that he would support a national law to “protect innocent life from conception to natural death,” which would be a national abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape and incest. He said he was “thrilled” about Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Virginians have made clear they do not want an extreme abortion ban – and we aren’t going back.”
DPVA Chair Susan Swecker: “Today as Virginians are voting, we wanted to warn everyone around the Commonwealth about Hung Cao’s dangerous anti choice agenda and to make clear that if given the chance, he would vote for an abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape and incest. When he was a candidate for Congress back in 2022, Hun Cao showed us who he was; he said he was thrilled Roe v Wade was overturned, cheering on every single state abortion ban that has happened as a result…we’re the only state in the South without an extreme abortion ban, but that isn’t good enough for Hun Cao – he pledged in a candidate survey for the Prince William and Manasses Family Alliance voter guide that he would support a law that would protect innocent life from conception to natural death. And we all know what that means – he’d be a vote for a national abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape and incest. And just think how extreme that
is – Hung Cao wants to take away the freedom to choose from survivors of rape and incest; he thinks he knows better than Virginia women. Hung Cao wants to insert himself into a private health care decision that should be between a woman and her doctor…This is who Hung Cao is – he always thinks he knows better than us. Virginians we’ve made clear at the ballot box that that Virginians want leaders who will stand up for reproductive freedom and have rejected time and time again extreme Republicans who want to ban abortion. This November, Virginians will make clear that Hung Cao’s dangerous anti-choice agenda belongs nowhere near the United States Senate.”
Del. Cia Price: “Reproductive freedom and justice have been a priority of the House Democratic caucus and the General Aassembly since before I even came into office in 2016. We have been fighting to keep the entire spectrum of reproductive services accessible and affordable for Virginia, including abortion. And we know that Tim Kaine is the only candidate for United States Senator on the Virginia ballot who will stand up for reproductive freedom. His opponent is a threat to reproductive freedom all across the Commonwealth. Hung Cao, like many Republicans, has pledged their support to the most extreme and dangerous agendas including support for a national abortion ban and ambiguity on his stance on IVF and contraception. And he continues to say dangerous and inflammatory statements like comparing abortion to the Holocaust. But instead of incendiary rhetoric people, we need leaders who will protect their access to reproductive healthcare. We have seen the damage that abortion bans are doing across the nation, Tthese bans and their resulting lack of affordable care puts women’s lives at risk and disproportionately impacts Black women, exacerbating the Black maternal mortality crisis. Over half of Black women ages 15 to 49 live in states with bans or threats to abortion access and Black women are three times more likely to die in connection to child birth than other women. In Virginia, the Black maternal mortality rate is about two times greater than white women. In the states with abortion bans, forced labor can mean a death sentence for some women or a prison sentence for others. Look at the stories of Amari Marsh, Candi Miller and Amber Thurman – the lived experiences of women, especially women of color, are being ignored by MAGA extremists, including Hung Cao. And that’s why we know Virginia cannot trust him to protect reproductive freedom, because a national abortion ban, threats to IVF and contraception and cruelly ripping away women’s rights to access the care they need is a recipe for disaster. Right now, Virginia is the last state in the South without an extreme abortion ban, and that could change if Hung Cao makes it to the Senate. And I am before you today as someone who can’t afford a flip flopper or a fence rider when it comes to reproductive freedom and justice. In the General Assembly, I’ve worked to pass the Right to Contraception Act so that we can keep Virginia safe as a haven for the full spectrum of services included in reproductive freedom. Without an IUD, I would not be able to do the work that I do because of my polycystic ovarian syndrome. And there are millions of women across the nation whose birth control is health care they need for a variety of conditions. Additionally, the decision of if, when and where to have a family is the most basic of economic decisions a family can make. That’s why immediately after Roe was overturned, Senator Tim Kaine introduced the Reproductive Freedom for All Act to restore Roe v Wade and protect access to abortion and contraception. He has also sponsored the Access to Birth Control Act to guarantee timely access to contraceptives at pharmacies nationwide; the Convenient Contraceptives Act to strengthen access to birth control; and the Right to IVF Act to protect and expand access to IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies, many of which are the technologies that women with PCOS need in order to start a family. 88% of Virginians support the Right to Contraception Act, and an overwhelming majority believe that abortion should be legal under some or all circumstances. And Virginians deserve a Senator who will fight for their reproductive freedom, not one that is playing politics with our bodies and our freedoms. I am grateful to have Senator Tim Kaine as a hardworking and dedicated ally in the work to protect reproductive freedom and justice for Virginia, and that is why I hope Virginia will join me in supporting him for reelection.”
Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA04): “Reproductive freedom is under attack like never before. Since the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision to overturn Roe v Wade, we have seen an all-out assault on the rights of women and pregnant individuals to make their own healthcare decisions in consultation with their doctor. We’ve seen abortion bans and extreme restrictions sweep across the country from coast to coast – no region is immune. And we have seen the result – is women dying in parking lots because a hospital is afraid to provide the miscarriage management that they need until they are septic and it is resulting in their deaths. 14 years ago, I became the first member of the Virginia House of delegates to be pregnant and give birth while in office. That experience gave me a new perspective on how abortion laws and restrictions impact healthcare decisions, the doctor-patient relationship and pregnancies. Then five years later, I had a high-risk pregnancy and nearly died giving birth to my daughter. I was wheeled into the emergency room with the peace of mind that my doctor would make the decision that she felt in that critical moment necessary without fear of prosecution. Now my daughter, when she reaches childbearing years could have fewer rights and fewer decisions on what to do with her own health care decisions or whether when and how to become a parent. Here in Virginia, we have fought back we are the last state in the South without an abortion ban or extreme restrictions. And that didn’t happen by accident. It happened because of the tireless work of so many people who stood up, spoke out, told their stories and made sure that Virginia remained a safe haven for abortion access. Not only that, but that we removed medically unnecessary barriers to abortion that were legal under Roe v Wade, through the Reproductive Health Protection Act that I carried with Delegate Charniele Herring. But with the fall of Roe, with the wave of restrictions that we have seen, it is having an impact on access to services in Virginia. And if we lose the Senate, then there will be an abortion ban adopted nationwide. We have got to stop Republicans like Hung Cao, who are bent on ripping away reproductive freedom, not just in the states but across the country. We know what their agenda is, because in the different states, we have seen Republican legislators emboldened by the fall of Roe working even harder to pass more extreme restrictions. But here in Congress right now, we see the same thing – every single must-pass piece of legislation, we have seen either House Republicans or Senate Republicans try to add further restrictions. When given the opportunity to protect in-vitro fertilization, Republicans in the Senate voted no. Hung Cao will be another vote to further restrict reproductive freedom, not just access to abortion but contraception and in vitro fertilization. Because for some reason, Republicans want the decision of how whether and when to become a parent to be up to them and not up to the people of the United States. We’re not going back to those days. We need to make sure that we elect Tim Kaine, who will protect reproductive freedom, who will ensure that we restore Roe versus Wade as the law of the land, and who understands that decisions about when, how and whether to become a parent, what to do in the case of a miscarriage or any other health care decision, should be made between a patient and their provider – not their United States Senator, not the president of the United States, and not the governor or state legislators in every other state. That’s why I am here to say it is critically important for our daughters and their daughters and many people who want to have daughters or even those who don’t, it is critically important that we elect Tim Kaine and keep the Senate Democratic this November.”
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Press release from DPVA:
Richmond, VA — This morning, Virginia Democratic women leaders warned in a DPVA press conference just how dangerous Hung Cao’s anti-choice agenda really is.
Hung Cao said in a questionnaire in 2022 that he would support a national law to “protect innocent life from conception to natural death,” which would be a national abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape and incest. He said he was “thrilled” about Roe v. Wade being overturned, cheering on every state that has voted for an abortion ban since this disastrous ruling.
Cao has compared abortion to the Holocaust and said he saw the same evil in the eyes of a bomb maker as he did a supporter of abortion rights.
Below are remarks from this morning’s press conference:
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Chairwoman Susan Swecker: “As Virginians are voting, we wanted to warn everyone around the Commonwealth about Hung Cao’s dangerous anti-choice agenda, and to make clear that if given the chance, he would vote for an abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape and incest. When he was a candidate for Congress back in 2022, Hung Cao showed us who he was. He said he was ‘thrilled’ Roe v. Wade was overturned, cheering on every single state abortion ban that has happened as a result…He pledged in a candidate survey for the Prince William and Manassas Family Alliance voter guide that he would support a law that would protect innocent life from conception to natural death, and we all know what that means: he’d be a vote for a national abortion ban with zero exceptions for rape and incest and just think how extreme that is. Hung Cao wants to take away the freedom to choose from survivors of rape and incest. He thinks he knows better than Virginia women.”
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Delegate Cia Price: “We know that Tim Kaine is the only candidate for United States Senator on the Virginia ballot who will stand up for reproductive freedom. His opponent is a threat to reproductive freedom all across the Commonwealth. Hung Cao, like many Republicans, has pledged their support to the most extreme and dangerous agendas, including support for a national abortion ban and ambiguity on his stance on IVF and contraception, and he continues to say dangerously and inflammatory statements like comparing abortion to the Holocaust. But instead of incendiary rhetoric, people need leaders who will protect their access to reproductive health care.”
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Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan: “But here in Congress right now, we see the same thing, every single must-pass lead piece of legislation, we have seen either House Republicans or Senate Republicans try to add further restrictions when given the opportunity to protect in vitro fertilization, Republicans in the Senate voted no. Hung Cao will be another vote to further restrict reproductive freedom, not just access to abortion, but contraception and in vitro fertilization, because, for some reason, Republicans want the decision of how, whether, and when to become a parent to be up to them and not up to the people of the United States. We’re not going back to those days. We need to make sure that we elect Tim Kaine, who will protect reproductive freedom, who will ensure that we restore Roe versus Wade as the law of the land, and who understands that decisions about when, how, and whether to become a parent, what to do in the case of a miscarriage or any other health care decision should be made between a patient and their provider, not their United States Senator, not the President of the United States, and not the governor or state legislators in every other state.”
To view the full video of Chairwoman Susan Swecker’s remarks, click here.
To view the full video of Delegate Cia Price’s remarks, click here.
To view the full remarks of Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan’s remarks, click here.
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