From Florida to Mississippi: Three Champs and a Chump
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This week’s Champ crown goes to three Floridians running for Congress: Patrick Murphy (FL-18), Lois Frankel (FL-22), and Keith Fitzgerald (FL-16), who were all endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund this week.
Not only do these three have outstanding records when it comes to protecting women’s health, but they are running against some of the worst anti-women’s health candidates around, including one of our biggest Chumps, Allen West. Let’s not forget the time West accused members of the Democratic Party of being communists: “I believe there’s about 78 to 81 members of the Democratic Party that are members of the Communist Party.”
As Action Fund President Cecile Richards said, “The race to the bottom on women’s health issues over the last few months has shown, yet again, how crucial it is to send advocates for women’s health to the U.S. House of Representatives. Patrick, Lois, and Keith are exceptional candidates who will fight to protect and promote women’s health. And that’s exactly who Floridians, and all Americans, need representing them in Washington.”
That’s why this week we’re naming these three Floridian candidates as our champions of women’s health!
When it comes to the “race to the bottom,” Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant leads the way. After signing a bill into law that will effectively ban abortion and threaten women’s ability to access comprehensive reproductive care in the Magnolia State, Governor Phil Bryant has earned his place as this week’s Chump.
Despite the fact that under Mississippi law, regulations are already in place to uphold patient health and safety for all medical practices (including abortion providers), this new law would add even more regulations in order to effectively ban abortion in the state. It’s just another example of politicians putting their ideological agenda ahead of women’s health.
Governor Bryant contradicts himself when he talks about the bill- his support of it is based on a desire to protect women, but he’s openly acknowledged his political motivation to “make Mississippi abortion-free.” Meanwhile, his fellow anti-women’s health crony, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, said outright, the law “will effectively end abortion in Mississippi.”
Their decision to restrict women’s access to comprehensive care does not protect women’s health. Instead, it means women, who will no longer be able to receive a safe legal procedure in the state, may resort to unsafe, desperate measures.
Unfortunately that’s not the only anti-women’s health legislation on the table in Mississippi; the state House also passed a backdoor “personhood” amendment that, if enacted, could outlaw birth control, infertility treatments, and abortions with no exceptions.
It was only last year when Mississippi voters soundly defeated Initiative 26, the so-called “personhood” amendment by a resounding 16 points, but six months later, the legislature is flouting the will of Mississippi voters.
For signing a bad bill into law and further restricting women’s access to comprehensive health care against the will of the people, Governor Bryant has truly earned the title Chump of the Week.
