FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2016
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Standing amongst supporters and NARAL members at a cafe in Silver Spring, MD, today NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue announced the group’s endorsement of Rep. Chris Van Hollen in his campaign for U.S. Senate. A champion for Americans’ reproductive freedom, Rep. Van Hollen has always stood up for our constitutional right to access abortion and has opposed cynical partisan efforts to close down vital women’s health clinics.
“Chris Van Hollen has always been a champion in the fight for our reproductive freedom and NARAL is proud to endorse his campaign for U.S. Senate,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Even though 7-in-10 Americans support safe and legal access to abortion, anti-choice politicians like Chris’ opponent are trying to restrict our families’ access to basic health care. At a time when abortion access is increasingly under attack, whether in the courts or the halls of Congress, we need a champion like Chris Van Hollen fighting for our values in Washington.”
“In my very first campaign for public office, I ran on the “Choice” ticket with the promise to protect a woman’s right to choose — and throughout my time in public service I have worked to keep that promise. We have made important progress, but the GOP continues to wage a war against women’s health. I’m proud to stand with NARAL as we work to expand access for all women in this country. There is so much at stake this election, and I’m honored to have their support,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen.
“We need leaders at all levels of government who are dedicated to protecting and advancing reproductive freedom. Maryland is a pro-choice state that has been well served by Congressman Van Hollen’s long history as an advocate of reproductive rights and we are proud to have him representing Marylanders,” said Diana Philip, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland
Rep. Van Hollen has been a steadfast champion in the fight for our reproductive freedom. In addition to maintaining a perfect pro-choice voting record, he has opposed partisan efforts to smear Planned Parenthood and voted against continued attempts to defund it and other reproductive health facilities across the country. Rep. Van Hollen fought back against a proposed nationwide abortion ban at 20 weeks of pregnancy and took a strong stance in support of landmark legislation to lift harmful state restrictions on abortion access (the Women’s Health Protection Act). In January of this year, Rep. Van Hollen signed onto an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Whole Woman’s Health, advocating that all women have the right to choose an abortion and to make that decision free from unnecessary interference by the state. He also testified in favor of Maryland’s landmark contraceptive equity bill that would close gaps in health coverage for Marylanders seeking access to contraception.
Van Hollen is running against State Rep. Kathy Szeliga, an extreme anti-choice Republican who has spent her political career actively fighting to roll-back the progress made for women’s reproductive rights. In addition to receiving a zero percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland, Szeliga has pushed to defund Planned Parenthood and supported a plan to ban abortion at 20 weeks of pregnancy.
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