FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2014
DURHAM – A recent report by the Raleigh News and Observer highlights the divide among candidates for US Senate over abortion. But what you might have missed is that the report reveals that all of the GOP primary candidates support restrictions on contraception coverage.
“The GOP candidates for the US Senate in North Carolina are dangerously out of touch with most North Carolinians,” said Suzanne Buckley, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice North Carolina. “99% of women have used birth control at some point in their lives. Birth control is part of basic healthcare for women. Not supporting access to contraceptives is an extreme position,” said Buckley.
“The reality is that we all benefit from birth control coverage. Increasing access to contraceptives results in fewer unintended pregnancies healthier families, and gives women more control over their futures. If you’re interested in advancing women’s health, you should be working to increase access to contraceptives, not trying to restrict it,” she said.
“North Carolinians deserve better than a slate of candidates that want to take our state back in time,” Buckley added.
House Speaker Thom Tillis’ opposition to contraception isn’t new. In 2011, he lead the charge to defund Planned Parenthood in North Carolina and in 2013, he spearheaded a bill in the NCGA that would allow employers to deny contraceptive coverage to their employees for any reason. According to Mother Jones, candidate Dr. Greg Brannon runs a “pro-life OB-GYN practice – meaning he doesn’t advise women on contraception.”
