Thursday, June 27th, 2024
ARIZONA -– State Representative Nancy Gutierrez, Amy Fitch-Heacock of Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom, and Claire Knipe of Arizona List held a press conference in Tucson today to speak out against Kari Lake’s dangerous anti-abortion record in the wake of the second anniversary of the Dobbs decision.
“Two years ago this week, the Supreme Court stripped away one of our most fundamental rights: the right to an abortion. Leading up to Dobbs, Kari Lake said over and over that she hoped the Supreme Court would overturn Roe. She said Roe was a ‘wildly inappropriate court ruling’ and a ‘national disgrace,” said Legislative District 18 State Representative Nancy Gutierrez. “With Kari Lake in the Senate we know there would be more extreme abortion bans and our rights would continue to be stripped away from us. Kari Lake’s anti-abortion policies are dangerous, and we will ensure Kari Lake cannot strip more rights away from us.”
“Republicans have been engaged in a decades-long fight to end abortion and reproductive freedom for Americans. These efforts culminated in the overturning of Roe with the Dobbs decision, two years ago this week, which paved the way for Arizona’s draconian territorial ban on abortion to be resurrected. Kari Lake is absolutely, without a doubt, part of the Republican effort to end the right to an abortion and reproductive freedom in Arizona and America,” said Claire Knipe, political director for Arizona List. “At a time when abortion and reproductive rights have been under assault in Arizona and in our nation’s Capital, Arizonans will yet again reject Kari Lake and will not send her to the United States Senate to continue her anti-abortion agenda.”
“Two years ago this week, I volunteered to help clinics call patients to tell them their appointments to receive abortion care had to be canceled because of the Dobbs decision. I will never forget the cries I heard. While I was comforting people who had just had their most fundamental right stripped from them, Kari Lake said, and I quote, ‘nothing can wipe the smile off my face today,’”said Amy Fitch-Heacock, co-founder and spokesperson for Arizonans for Reproductive Freedom. “We are outraged by Kari Lake’s anti-abortion extremism that creates dangerous, life-threatening scenarios for pregnant people. And we’re taking this anger and frustration straight to the ballot box this November and voting for reproductive freedom and to keep Kari Lake out of office, for the second time.”
Lake’s dangerous and “clear record on” abortion includes everything from saying Roe was “unconstitutional” and calling for sheriffs to enforce an 1864 ban without exceptions for rape or incest that would put doctors in jail:
- “Obviously, I think Roe v. Wade should be overturned.” [2/5/22]
- “And I’m so glad that we’re on the precipice of possibly seeing the law Roe versus Wade struck down.” [1/26/22]
- “Oh, absolutely. This is such a momentous day, James T. I woke up to the news and I you know, nothing can wipe the smile off my face today. I’m just so happy … And we’ve been able to correct a 50 year old wrong, a 50 year old mistake. And we’re finally going to have a truly pro life state in Arizona and I couldn’t be more thrilled.” [6/24/22]
- “I’m incredibly thrilled that we are going to have a great law that’s already on the books, I believe it’s ARS 13-3603. So it will prohibit abortion in Arizona except to save the life of a mother. And I think we’re going to be setting the, paving the way and setting course for other states to follow.” [6/24/22]
- “And I think there’s a lot of people who want to say, ‘Oh, that law is on the books, and we have that law.’ No, we don’t have that law. She’s not enforcing the law, so we don’t have that law. The only people who can enforce that law are sheriffs, and we need to start asking if the sheriffs are going to enforce that. I don’t think they are.” [4/13/24]
- “And this law passed. The Arizona Supreme Court said this is the law of Arizona. But unfortunately, the people running our state have said we’re not going to enforce it. So it’s really political theater, we don’t have that law as much as many of us wish we did.” [4/20/24]
A recording of the press conference is available here.