MANCHESTER, NH — On the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, Joyce Craig released the following statement:
“For decades, Roe v. Wade protected a woman’s right to make our own decisions and access critical reproductive health care services,” said Joyce Craig. “Now, the anniversary of Roe is a solemn reminder that Republicans like Kelly Ayotte are attacking our rights and working to ban access to abortion. Every Granite Stater deserves the freedom to make their own personal health care decisions and I’ll fight to prevent extreme Republicans from taking away the rights of our daughters and granddaughters. Reproductive freedom is on the ballot in New Hampshire in 2024 and we cannot trust Kelly Ayotte to protect our rights.”
The anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision is a reminder of the clear contrast in this gubernatorial election.
Kelly Ayotte helped overturn Roe and has a decades-long record of working to restrict access to reproductive health care. Ayotte voted repeatedly for a national abortion ban and to defund Planned Parenthood, she also helped stack the Supreme Court with anti-choice justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago. Kelly Ayotte led President Trump’s White House team that shepherded his anti-choice nominee to a seat on the Supreme Court leading to the overturning of Roe v Wade.
Democratic candidate for Governor Joyce Craig has fought with Granite Staters to protect the critical reproductive health care they need:
- Following the Dobbs decision, Joyce Craig joined mayors from across the country to call for protections for abortion access in the United States.
- As mayor, Joyce Craig supported inclusive reproductive rights and health care for all Granite Staters, including joining dozens of health care groups and thousands of Granite Staters in opposing the Title X gag rule.
- As mayor, Joyce Craig advocated alongside 80 other Mayors in cities across the U.S. to Secretary of the HHS Alex Azar on the importance of Planned Parenthood’s services for the community.
- As mayor, Joyce Craig supported Medicaid expansion and made it a priority to protect patient safety, testifying in Concord in defense of the Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) Manchester health center, the largest Planned Parenthood in the state of New Hampshire.
- On the year anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Joyce Craig stood with Democrats in Concord to defend reproductive rights in the face of GOP attacks.
Kelly Ayotte’s decades-long record of trying to dismantle reproductive health care:
Ayotte Is A Fierce Supporter Of National Abortion Bans & Criminalizing Doctors:
- In 2013, Ayotte voted for a 20-week national abortion ban and to criminalize doctors and close family members who help young people access safe and legal abortion.
- In 2014, Ayotte led a group of GOP Senators to demand a vote on a bill to put in place a 20-week national abortion ban that would criminalize doctors.
- In 2015, Ayotte voted for a 20-week national abortion ban that was opposed by moderate Republicans for not having exceptions “when the health of the mother is at serious risk” and for containing “a provision that could put doctors in prison”.
- In The Senate, Ayotte Voted Six Times To Defund Planned Parenthood: H.R. 1, Senate Vote 36, 3/9/11; H.Con. Res. 36, Senate Vote 60, 4/14/11; S. 1881, Senate Vote 262, 8/3/15; H.R. 3762, Senate Vote 311, 12/3/15; Amendment to H.R. 3762, Senate Vote 314, 12/3/15; H.R. 3762, Senate Vote 329, 12/3/15.
Ayotte Was A Key Figure In Cementing Anti-Abortion, Anti-Choice Control Of SCOTUS That Overturned Roe v. Wade:
- In 2016, Ayotte stood with Mitch McConnell and Republican Leadership in their unprecedented refusal to consider President Obama’s nominee, Merrick Garland, to fill the open Supreme Court seat.
- In 2017, Ayotte led President Trump’s White House team that shepherded his anti-choice nominee to a seat on the Supreme Court. Ayotte’s efforts let Trump begin his successful effort to create a Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v Wade.
- Ayotte Has Been A Fierce Opponent Of Abortion Rights Since First Running For Office Nearly 15 Years Ago: Since first running for Senate in 2010, Ayotte has been fiercely anti-choice, and “said the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion should be overturned”. She was endorsed by the anti-choice group SBA List, who were critical to her victory in a tough 2010 GOP primary and said her 2010 election “fills the void of pro-life women Senators.”
- Electing Ayotte Would Work To Enable Her Anti-Abortion, Anti-Choice Agenda In New Hampshire: As a gubernatorial candidate, Ayotte has doubled down on her dangerous anti-choice record, promising to defund Planned Parenthood and refusing to veto a statewide abortion ban, if elected governor. Meanwhile, one of her earliest endorsers introduced a 15-day abortion ban without health, rape, or incest exceptions. The bill would bring among the strictest abortion bans in the country to New Hampshire, “effectively outlawing the procedure entirely” in the state.