Claims Congress Doesn't Deal with Women's Health-Care Issues
At yesterday's debate between the two major candidates for Congress in Virginia's 10thCongressional District, Delegate Barbara Comstock defended her out-of-touch views on women's health with a bizarre claim that Congress does not address women's health-care issues. As reported by the Washington Post, Comstock claimed her desire to see Roe. v. Wade overturned "would not come into play in Congress."
In reality, anti-choice lawmakers in Congress have made attacking women's health a top priority - from passing a dangerous abortion ban to working to strip insurance coverage for birth control within the Affordable Care Act. And as Delegate Barbara Comstock has worked tirelessly to restrict the health and rights of Virginia women: she voted for medically unnecessary restrictions on women's health-care facilities,supported forced ultrasounds, and even voted torestrict common forms of birth control.
"I'm not sure what's more troubling about Barbara Comstock's statements last night: the reaffirmation of her distrust of women to make our own decisions about what's best for us and our families or her professed ignorance about the role this Congress has played in trying to legislate the rights assured to women underRoe v. Wade out of existence," said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "7 in 10 Americans believe that abortion access should be legal and that politicians should not meddle in critical healthcare decisions of women. Virginia voters know that only John Faust can represent these views in Congress, and we'll be working to remind them every day between now andNovember 4th.
"Barbara Comstock has made her priorities very clear: she has a long history of attacking women's access to reproductive health and rights in Virginia, and she would do exactly the same in Washington," said Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. "It's telling that while Comstock supports overturning Roe v. Wade and taking fundamental and constitutional rights away from women, her vote for a Virginia 2012 'personhood' bill shows she is clearly in favor of granting constitutional rights to zygotes. Her bizarre claim that Congress doesn't deal with women's health care is an obvious attempt to defend what is clearly an out-of-touch record on women's health and rights. Virginians aren't buying it."
NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC has endorsed John Foust to represent Virginia's 10thCongressional District. NARAL Pro-Choice America has more than 15,000 member activists in Virginia.
BACKGROUND:
Comstock Said Her Desire to See Roe v. Wade Overturned Did Not Matter as a Member of Congress. ""I have worked on building these coalitions and, you see, my opponent wants to continue to divide and attack," Comstock said, adding that her desire to see Roe v. Wade overturned would not come into play in Congress. "I'm not running for the Supreme Court, I'm running to be your congressman."" [Washington Post, 9/03/14]
Comstock: "Yes, I think Roe v. Wade Should be Overturned." In October 2006 on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," Comstock said, "…yes, I think Roe v. Wade should be overturned and the states should decide it." [MSNBC, 10/16/08]
Comstock Voted to Require Transvaginal Ultrasounds Prior to Abortions. In 2012, Comstock voted for a bill "that requires women to have a 'transvaginal ultrasound' before undergoing abortions." [HB 462, 2/14/12; Associated Press, 2/15/12]
Comstock Voted for Virginia TRAP Laws That Closed Women's Health Clinic. In 2011, Comstock voted for a bill that required abortion clinic to be regulated like outpatient surgical centers. As a result, the Board of Health adopted requirements that clinics "meet strict, hospital-style building codes that operators say could put many of them out of business." [SB 924, 2011 Session, 2/21/11; Washington Post, 4/12/13]
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