Abortion rights groups plan to spend $150M in 2022 midterms
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Three abortion rights groups on Monday announced they plan to spend $150 million on the upcoming 2022 midterms "to ensure the election of reproductive freedom champions."
Driving the news: Planned Parenthood Action Fund, NARAL Pro-Choice America and EMILY's List said the investment will be used to fund voter outreach, advertising, mobilization efforts, polling and more to elect officials "up and down the ballot, from state legislatures, to [attorneys general] and governors, to U.S. congressional races."
- The groups said their efforts will reach "tens of millions of voters," adding that they will focus on states such as Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, California, Kansas and Wisconsin.
The big picture: The announcement comes as red states across the U.S. pass and enact legislation to restrict abortion access while the Supreme Court considers a case that could throw Roe v. Wade's survival into question.
- Most recently, Oklahoma passed a law that looks to ban nearly all abortions and would be enforced via private lawsuits, like Texas' six-week abortion ban. If it is signed by the governor, it would become the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S.
The other side: Connecticut passed a bill on Friday to protect abortion providers from bans in other states that are enforced via civil lawsuits.
- The bill's authors argue that it could "serve as a blueprint for states across the country seeking to protect the right to choose."
What they're saying: "Let this be a warning to the out-of-touch politicians standing in the way of our reproductive freedom: People are watching. People are furious. And this November, the people will vote you out," said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund.
- "Electing lawmakers who will ferociously fight for reproductive freedom is essential to ensuring that we’re prepared for what comes next, and that’s exactly why we’re joining our partners in this critical, unprecedented effort," said Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL.
- "It's never been more crucial to secure pro-choice majorities at all levels of government to stop anti-abortion lawmakers from decimating our access to abortion across the nation," said Laphonza Butler, president of EMILY’s List.
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