Press Release
Higher Heights and NARAL Launch New Ad on Christian Radio in Georgia Slamming Trump for Forced Sterilizations at ICE Detention Center
For Immediate Release: Friday, October 9, 2020
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Ads hit the air in wake of revelations that Trump administration allowed forced hysterectomies on women at Georgia ICE-contracted facility
Washington, DC — Today, Higher Heights Political Fund and NARAL Freedom Fund announced a new radio ad, to run on Christian radio in Georgia beginning Friday, that calls out the Trump Administration’s assault on reproductive rights, justice, and freedoms after recent news uncovered that forced hysterectomies were being performed under the administration’s watch at an ICE-contracted facility in Georgia.
The speaker in the ad says, “My name is Kendra. I’m a Georgian and a Christian, and I know that some things are fundamental: Politicians should never take away our ability to have children, without our consent. Ever. So recent news is disturbing – and all too familiar.” You can listen to the full ad here.
The five-figure ad campaign will run in the battleground state of Georgia, where Higher Heights and NARAL are working to defeat Donald Trump. Higher Heights is mobilizing Black women voters to elect candidates who will champion their values up and down ballot, and NARAL is also working to move persuadable suburban women voters to unseat Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue and replace them with reproductive freedom advocates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
Statement from Kimberly Peeler-Allen, Co-Chair of Higher Heights Political Fund:
“This administration has reverted to the worst aspects of our nation’s history when Black and Brown women were experimented on and sterilized against their will because they were not seen as fully human. We are better than this. Changing our leadership at the Federal, state and local level will be a step forward in ensuring that all women have agency over their bodies regardless of their race, ethnicity, or immigration status. Higher Heights Political Fund is reminding Black women in Georgia that they have the power to make a difference in the trajectory not just of the state of Georgia but of our country.”
Statement from Laura Simmons, NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia Director:
“Donald Trump’s agenda of maintaining power and control by ripping away people’s reproductive freedom manifests in many ways, and the unconscionable acts committed against women in ICE custody in Georgia are yet another reminder of the imperative of voting Trump out of office in November. Reproductive oppression has a long and shameful history in this country of being used as a weapon to strip people of their dignity and prop up white supremacy. NARAL is making sure that voters in Georgia, including Christian voters, have a crystal clear view into how the Trump administration uses these tools of injustice.”
NARAL Pro-Choice America recently released new polling by Change Research showing that suburban women voters in Georgia strongly support reproductive freedom, oppose Georgia’s 2019 abortion ban, and do not trust politicians to make decisions about women’s health. The poll found that, of the suburban women surveyed, a vast majority support reproductive freedom, including 98% of Black non-Evangelicals, 97% of Black Evangelicals, and 78% of non-Evangelical white frequent churchgoers.
Overall, a vast majority (78%) of suburban women oppose making abortion illegal and turning back the clock to the days before Roe v. Wade.
Other highlights from the poll:
- Two-thirds of suburban women in Georgia (65%) oppose the 2019 Georgia law that banned abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a time before many women even know they are pregnant. This opposition includes 79% of Independents, 78% of non Evangelical white women, 65% of white women under 35, and 90% of Black voters.
- 82% oppose the 2019 abortion ban once they learn more about its impacts. This includes 73% who are strongly against it. Just 2% say they would vote for someone who supports the ban. Majorities of white women under 35 (58%) and white college graduates (52%) would not consider voting for someone who supports this ban.
- Suburban women do not trust Georgia politicians to make the right decisions when it comes to women’s health. Overall, 61% say they do not trust them at all– including 75% of Independents, 76% of Black voters, and 72% of white voters under 35.
Higher Heights is the only national organization providing Black women with a political home exclusively dedicated to harnessing their power to expand Black women’s elected representation and voting participation, and advance progressive policies. Higher Heights is building the political power and leadership of Black women from the voting booth to elected office and creating the environment for Black women to run, win and lead.
For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters have fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom—including access to abortion, contraception, and paid family leave—for every body. NARAL is powered by its more than 2.5 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 7 in 10 Americans who believe every person should have the freedom to make the best decision for themselves about if, when, and how to raise a family.
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