My Turn: About Ayotte’s Supreme Court “win” . . .
By Steve Trombley, President of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund
To U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is “a conservative icon who has brought enormous energy to our party.”
But as Palin endorsed Ayotte, many of us were left to wonder not only how Palin was so wrong on Ayotte’s record, but also how out of touch both are with New Hampshire values.
Palin said Ayotte “battled all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to protect the rights of New Hampshire parents – and won!”
That’s just wrong: Ayotte lost the Supreme Court Case against Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. But Palin isn’t just wrong on the facts: She and Ayotte are wrong for New Hampshire.
The case that Ayotte championed failed to protect the health of young women, failed to protect a young woman’s confidentiality and privacy. When Ayotte lost her case, New Hampshire women won.
Palin and Ayotte is a combination that is not good for New Hampshire women and families.
Palin is on the record opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest. Her positions are clear – and extreme. Yet Ayotte wants Palin’s support.
New Hampshire families don’t need Palin’s support or Ayotte’s politics. Families need real support, not laws that put grandparents, aunts and sisters in jail for helping teens access medical care. Most teens have a parent involved in their decision, but not every family is a model family, and for some teens, speaking with their parents is not an option.
All of us want our daughters to come to us, but what is most important is that they are safe.
The last thing women need is a U.S. senator prepared to turn back the clock on women’s rights and repeal the protections of Roe v. Wade. We need a candidate who will stand up for women’s health and women’s rights. When New Hampshire voters go to the polls, they will have the opportunity to vote for candidates such as Paul Hodes, Ann McLane Kuster and Carol Shea-Porter who trust women to make the right choices for themselves.
Sarah Palin is not just wrong on the facts – she is wrong for New Hampshire. And so is Kelly Ayotte.