Planned Parenthood Votes! endorses McKee, other Democrats for top office. What they say

PROVIDENCE — The political arm of Planned Parenthood endorsed all five Democratic candidates for Rhode Island's top state offices on Thursday, including Gov. Dan McKee, who is facing an aggressive challenge from Ashley Kalus, who describes herself as a "pro-life" Republican.

The Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island PAC also endorsed Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Atty. Gen. Peter Neronha, state Rep. Gregg Amore, a candidate for secretary of state, and former Central Falls Mayor James Diossa, a candidate for state treasurer.

With abortion rights taking center stage in campaign year 2022, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade, McKee told a gathering outside the State House on Thursday that: "Governors are the last line of defense."

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He cited his own actions, including the issuance of an executive order protecting women who travel to Rhode Island – from states that ban abortion – for "safe reproductive care," and the health-care workers who provide the care.

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He also backed the inclusion of money in the budget requests currently streaming in from state agencies for state-paid insurance coverage for state workers and Medicaid recipients seeking abortions.

"I believe in choice. My opponent believes in no choice. She will not fight to protect a woman's right to choose."

"Let's be clear," added Neronha. "The fight is real. It's not hypothetical, it's real...nationally and here in Rhode Island."

"We know that in Washington, Republicans [now] want to pass a national abortion ban," Neronha said.

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And in Rhode Island, he said, his office is geared up to go another round if necessary in defense of the "Reproductive Privacy Act" passed in 2019 to safeguard abortion rights in Rhode Island.

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The state's high court dismissed a  challenge brought by the advocacy group Catholics for Life and several other activists. The groups had argued that the state Constitution bars the General Assembly's unilateral passage of a law confirming a fundamental “right” to abortion. They lost.

"Not satisfied with that result, the plaintiffs are attempting, yet again, to roll back access to health care for women in Rhode Island, this time with a petition for a writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court....We have conveyed to the Court in no uncertain terms that we...believe this petition does not merit the Supreme Court’s review."

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"Where do candidates stand on that issue?" Neronha asked rhetorically. "Is the governor's opponent prepared to go into court and file a friend of the court brief to support the Reproductive Privacy Act? Is the lieutenant governor's opponent prepared to do that? Is my opponent prepared to do that?"

"Are they prepared to fight for R.I. women?" Neronha asked. "I know where this governor stands? He's a champion for choice."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Planned Parenthood's RI PAC endorses McKee, other Democrats in 2022