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Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation Launches New Georgia Ad Campaign Exposing the Hypocrisy of “Pro-Life” Governor Brian Kemp Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
For Immediate Release: April 27, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation Launches New Georgia Ad Campaign Exposing the Hypocrisy of “Pro-Life” Governor Brian Kemp Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Six-Figure Ad Campaign Targets Governor Kemp and Other Anti-Choice Officials Putting Lives at Risk During a National Public Health Emergency
GEORGIA — NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation today launched a new ad as part of a six-figure campaign exposing the hypocrisy of anti-choice officials like Governor Brian Kemp who call themselves “pro-life” while jeopardizing the lives of millions of Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
NARAL Pro-Choice America is running seven 15-second digital ads in Georgia, Texas, Iowa, Maine, and Washington, DC, which showcase the hypocrisy on full display from anti-choice officials and extremists who are willing to risk lives and ignore health experts during the pandemic.
Specifically, the ads mention:
- Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who ordered his state to end its lockdown despite still being in the midst of a pandemic, ignoring warnings from public health experts and jeopardizing the lives of millions of Georgians.
- Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who suggested that elderly people should be willing to sacrifice their lives in order to keep businesses open and save the economy.
- Attorney General William Barr trying to end healthcare coverage for millions of Americans during a national public health emergency.
- 17 state Attorneys General who call themselves “pro-life” yet are suing to end the Affordable Care Act and end healthcare coverage for millions in the midst of a pandemic and record unemployment and job loss.
- Wisconsin General Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, who forced thousands of Wisconsin citizens to vote in-person during the pandemic instead of by mail, telling them it was “incredibly safe to go out” (while wearing full protective equipment himself).
- Congressman Trey Hollingsworth (IN-09) who prioritized money over families’ lives by publicly pushing to end social distancing, in a direct contradiction to medical guidelines.
- Jerry Falwell Jr. reopening Liberty University against health guidelines, leading students to file a class-action lawsuit accusing Falwell of “profiteering” off of the pandemic as COVID-19 continues to spread across campus.
“It’s no secret that Governor Kemp is more than willing to sacrifice the wellbeing of Georgians when it suits his own political agenda. That was abundantly clear in 2019 when Governor Kemp pushed a dangerous and extreme ban on abortion — and it’s clear today,” said Laura Simmons, Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Georgia. “The hypocrisy is glaring: Kemp claims to be ‘pro-life’ to justify his support for a reckless abortion ban that would hurt Georgia women, families, and doctors, and now he’s jeopardizing the lives of millions by deliberately ignoring medical professionals and prioritizing corporate profits over people’s lives. There’s nothing ‘pro-life’ about it.”
“These times make crystal clear what we’ve always known: for so many of these officials, ‘pro-life’ is a smoke screen, not a commitment that they care to uphold,” said Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “When it suits them, they’re happy to endanger lives to push their agenda forward, as we have seen all too well during this COVID crisis. Their actions demonstrate a distinct lack of value placed on lives.”
NARAL Freedom Fund also recently launched a separate digital ad campaign to hold Donald Trump and Republican politicians accountable for exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic and weaponizing harmful disinformation in order to ban abortion.
NARAL will continue to educate Americans about disinformation pushed by the anti-choice movement and Republican party as they work to ban abortion and threaten women who seek abortion care with jail time and other forms of punishment. NARAL will shine a spotlight on the actors who prioritize their own personal beliefs and ideology over the health, safety, and lives of others, creating a powerful moral imperative to take action.
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NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all. For more than 50 years, NARAL has worked to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. Since 1969, NARAL has made history, grown to over 2.5 million members, and met the moments that have defined this fight with action, power and freedom. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”