Women’s Issues

Will Governor McCrory Break His Promise…Again?

Governor Pat McCrory has a big decision to make: Will he betray North Carolina women once again?

In his 2012 gubernatorial campaign, McCrory unequivocally promised that he wouldn't sign new restrictions on a woman's right to choose. But in 2013 he broke that promise, signing dangerous restrictions on women's health choices into law.

He's now faced with that dilemma again; North Carolina state House lawmakers just voted to extend the waiting period for an abortion in North Carolina from 24 to 72 hours, moving North Carolina one step closer to becoming just the fourth state with that law.

So the question is, who shows up to work -- the Pat McCrory that promised his constituents no further restrictions on choice, or the one that caved to the legislature and and ruined his credibility?

MEMO: What To Expect In Nashua

TO: Interested Parties FROM: Brad Woodhouse, President, American Bridge 21^st Century RE: What to Expect in Nashua DATE: April 17, 2015 Republican presidential candidates are descending like a swarm of locusts on Nashua, New Hampshire, this weekend for the NHGOP’s First in the Nation Leadership Summit. With more than 20 candidate events scheduled in addition to Friday and Saturday’s speaking slots, American Bridge will be working overtime to document every word from targeted candidates and continue our work holding Republicans accountable for their extreme positions and words. Here’s what we’re expecting to hear.

Will Gov. Pat McCrory go back on his word and limit choice…again?

Governor Pat McCrory, might have a big decision to make: Will he sign new legislation that would restrict women's right to choose if it reaches his desk? He promised voters in his 2012 campaign that he would sign no new restrictions, but we know how that ended. In 2013, Gov. McCrory betrayed North Carolina voters by signing legislation seriously limiting women's right to choose. Will he do it again? McCrory must make it clear whether he intends to veto the new legislation. Until he does, North Carolinians will remain skeptical that the governor still isn't a man of his word.

MEMO: Scott Walker Refusing to Answer Questions after Doubling Down on Extreme Positions

As Scott Walker gets closer and closer to announcing his run for president, he’s doubling down on extreme positions that are taking him closer and closer to the right wing conservative base. On top of that, he’s avoiding answering press questions on these positions because he only wants to talk about them to extreme audiences who share his views. In just the past couple weeks, he avoided answering press questions at CPAC in late February, after a speech to the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce last week, at the Iowa Ag Summit this past weekend, and after signing his disastrous right-to-work bill in Wisconsin yesterday. Since Scott Walker won’t talk about his positions, we’re happy to fill the void. Here’s what Walker has been up to lately:

• He insulted working families across the country when he compared union protesters to ISIS terrorists;
• He’s falsely claimed that President Reagan firing air traffic controllers made the Soviet Union take him more seriously;
• He’s attacking working families again by pushing through new right-to-work legislation after promising he wouldn’t;

NEW VIDEO: Fact Check: Scott Brown On Women's Health

Scott Brown just released a new ad expressing his outrage with Senator Shaheen for highlighting his terrible record on women's health. Unfortunately for Scott Brown, facts are facts. For example:

• Scott Brown is from Massachusetts.
• Scott Brown sits on the Board of Directors at a company that outsources American jobs.
• Scott Brown lavished praise on the Koch brothers for helping him in his 2010 campaign and asked them for more money.

Scott Walker's Sad Attempt at Spin

In 2011, when the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asked Walker to confirm that he "oppose[s] abortion even in cases of rape and incest," Walker replied with a resounding "that's correct." Then Walker was asked: "As governor you will push hard for laws to curb abortion, how hard will you work on that issue?" Walker's response: "Well I'm pro-life... I'm pro-life across the board." Followed by a litany of examples of anti-women's health legislation he has supported throughout his career.

Memo: Speaker Tillis Calls In Extreme Right Wing Cavalry To Save Floundering Campaign

Memo: Speaker Tillis Calls In Extreme Right Wing Cavalry To Save Floundering Campaign To: Interested Parties From: Gwen Rocco, Communications Director, American Bridge Date: Tuesday, October 7, 2014 Thom Tillis, North Carolina's Republican Senate candidate, House Speaker, and notorious holder of anti-woman views, is calling in the cavalry to save his floundering candidacy in the final weeks before the election he's about to lose. His latest backer? A shady front group for the extreme right wing Susan B. Anthony List, which despite its name has little to do with championing the rights of women and everything to do with ending women’s access to health care services. Much like...Speaker Tillis! SBA List officially endorsed Tillis back in June, highlighting how he "led the charge" (their words) to curtail women's access to health care in North Carolina. What could they have been talking about? Well, take your pick: Tillis tried to cut off all state and federal funding for Planned Parenthood; Tillis believes states should have the right to ban birth control; Tillis said private companies should not have to cover contraceptives; Tillis supports that birth control-banning Republican favorite - personhood. The list goes on and on, but it makes complete sense when you recall that SBA List once hired a lobbyist to try to defund Planned Parenthood. Why hire a lobbyist when you can elect Speaker Tillis to do your dirty work for you?

The Ongoing Reinvention Of Rand Paul: Lying About Birth Control

Rand Paul's ultra-right wing bona fides cannot be questioned when it comes to women's health. After all, Rand Paul introduced the Senate personhood bill that could ban common forms of birth control. He's even bragged about his crusade to restrict women's health options, including his support for a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe v. Wade. Clearly this was all a point of pride for Senator Paul. But in case you haven't heard, now he wants to be president. And it turns out that denying women access to birth control isn't particularly popular. So just like he's done on Israel, and on ISIS, and on civil rights, and so on and so on, he's doing what he does best: simply lying to voters. Paul was asked today in South Carolina about his position on the morning-after pill, and he affirmed his support for it. Which is all good and well, except that he brags about introducing personhood legislation that could make it illegal. He's consistently been one of the most extreme politicians in Washington when it comes to women's issues. Just check out this video that he recently scrubbed from his YouTube account. Now Rand Paul thinks he can lie his way to the middle and twist himself into a candidate with broad appeal. It seems every week, you wake up and Rand Paul is selling a new version of Rand Paul. There's only one problem: people are watching.

Thom Tillis tries to mansplain away his contraceptives contradiction

In last week's North Carolina Senate debate, Speaker Thom Tillis declared his support for over the counter access to birth control, a statement that flies in the face of not only his earlier comments on contraceptives in particular, but his broader record on reproductive rights. Tillis' proclamation in last week's debate, no doubt a deliberate attempt to whitewash his position on these issues in the face of a significant gender gap in the race, rightfully earned the scorn of his hometown paper, the Charlotte Observer. The paper's Sunday editorial referred to Tillis' contraceptives comments as having the "pungent odor of politicking," considering his previous support for defunding Planned Parenthood and dangerous personhood amendments that could severely limit access to or even criminalize women's health services. The Observer notes that his support for over the counter birth control is "quite the turnaround," given that earlier this year, during his bid to secure the GOP nomination for Senate, Tillis agreed with his fellow GOP candidates that states should be able to ban contraceptives, according to a report from the Raleigh News & Observer.

Cory Gardner and Thom Tillis: Insulting Women's Intelligence

"At a GOP forum last month, candidates also said they thought states had the right to ban contraceptives. Tillis, who skipped the event, later said he agreed." [News & Observer, 1/31/14]

"When pressed specifically to rebut Brown’s assertion that S.B. 143 would have resulted in longer sentences for abortion providers than rapists and whether that is something Gardner still supports, Siciliano did not respond further." [KDVR, 9/3/14]

Thom Tillis believes that states have the right to ban contraceptives. Cory Gardner sponsored a bill that would have resulted in longer sentences for doctors who provide care for rape victims than to for the rapists themselves. Those are facts. And that is only the tip of the iceberg for each Senate candidate's record on women's issues. Now, both candidates are suddenly supporting over-the-counter birth control and claiming they are the better choice for women than their opponents. It's desperate election-year pandering. It's insulting. And it's fooling nobody. No two senate candidates have been more strongly committed in their careers to taking away women's access to health care and ability to make their own decisions.