Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024

ARIZONA -– State Representatives Analise Ortiz and Judy Schwiebert, and Arizona State University Student Francesca Martin held a press conference in Phoenix today to call out Kari Lake’s dangerous, anti-abortion record one week out from the GOP Senate primary. 

“Kari Lake’s policies put women in danger. The contrast couldn’t be stronger. Her policies make the deeply personal decision to have an abortion a political football, while we believe that parents should have the right to decide when they are ready to have a child, not the state, not politicians, not laws passed in the 1800’s,” said State Representative Judy Schwiebert. “If Kari Lake gets elected to the U.S. Senate, she would work with her Republican colleagues to take us backwards. Arizonans and Americans are exhausted by the vitriol coming from extremists like Kari Lake. That’s why Arizonans will once again reject Kari Lake.”

“Kari Lake’s stance on abortion is a step back into 1864 for women’s rights, and it’s a step we simply can’t afford to take. It is not the reality we want here in Arizona, and it’s not the reality we want for the rest of America either,” said Francesca Martin, student at ASU. “Arizonans will reject Kari Lake again this November because we want to live in a state where medical decisions are based on science and compassion, not political ideology. The health and lives of countless women depend on it.” 

“Kari Lake can’t hide her extreme stances. She called basic reproductive healthcare ‘murder,’ and the ‘ultimate sin.’ She’s said she supports banning medication abortion. And if she had it her way, Arizona would have one of the nation’s most extreme abortion laws on the books, the 1864 abortion ban with no exceptions in cases of rape and incest, one that could jail doctors. She called it a ‘great law.’ She said sherrifs should enforce it,” said State Representative Analise Ortiz. “So we have to fight. Arizonans have rejected Kari Lake’s extreme agenda before, and this year, we will yet again ensure that Kari Lake doesn’t get anywhere near elected office in 2024.”

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]