Friday, August 2nd, 2024

ARIZONA -– Yesterday in Tucson, Representative Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, Representative Nancy Gutierrez, and Shelly Burgoyne, Army combat veteran, Army officer, and executive director of the Pima County Democratic Party, called out  Kari Lake’s dangerous, anti-abortion record two days into the general election. 

“Kari Lake is officially the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Arizona. That means she is one step away from being a United States Senator, and that should alarm us all,” said Rep. Stahl-Hamilton. “I know that most Arizonans strongly disagree with Kari Lake’s extreme position on abortion. We are a state that values personal freedom, compassion, and the right to make our own healthcare decisions. We have to ensure Kari Lake is not elected to the U.S. Senate. This is not just about political differences; it is about protecting our rights and the lives of women across our state.”

“Kari Lake has already told us who she is and we believe her. She called Roe v. Wade a ‘national disgrace.’ The day that Dobbs came out, Kari praised the 1864 abortion ban. She even called it out by statute number. She called it a ‘great law,’” said Rep. Gutierrez. “Kari Lake’s anti-abortion policies are dangerous, and we must ensure Kari cannot strip more of our rights away by making sure Kari Lake doesn’t get anywhere near the U.S. Senate.” 

“In service to our nation in Iraq, I learned a lot about freedom — what it is, and what it is not. A soldier learns really quickly that making one’s own healthcare decisions is paramount to their own survival and welfare, and the welfare of their whole unit. This of course is true across society, and so we must fight for all Arizonans to make their own health care decisions,” said Burgoyne. “Kari Lake is pushing extreme, outdated abortion bans that put women’s lives at risk and place all Arizonans in danger — abortion rights are not just a woman’s issue — they are an everyone issue.”

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]