Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice California Endorses 10 Future Leaders for Reproductive Freedom for the California State Assembly
For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 19, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
California’s leading reproductive freedom advocacy organization endorses 10 candidates
Sacramento — Today, NARAL Pro-Choice California announced its endorsement of 10 candidates running in the 2022 midterm elections for the California State Assembly, including a dual endorsement for Assembly District 20. These candidates will be strong leaders in the fight for reproductive freedom.
NARAL Pro-Choice California Director Shannon Olivieri Hovis released the following statement:
“Our nation is facing the likely end of Roe v. Wade, and California’s role in the fight for reproductive freedom has never been more important. These 10 state Assembly candidates are critical future leaders to protect and expand reproductive freedom for everybody in California—including those forced to travel from out of state to access abortion care. California is a Reproductive Freedom State, and we must continue to earn that designation by electing leaders who will prioritize reproductive freedom for all. NARAL Pro-Choice California is proud to endorse this slate of candidates, and our nearly 300,000 members will be leaving it all on the field to ensure these candidates are elected.”
Endorsements for state Assembly:
- Eric Guerra (AD 10)
- Sara Aminzadeh (AD 12)
- Jennifer Esteen (AD 20)
- Liz Ortega (AD 20)
- Giselle Hale (AD 21)
- Gail Pellerin (AD 28)
- Gregg Hart (AD 37)
- Pilar Schiavo (AD 40)
- Elizabeth Alcantar (AD 64)
- Josh Lowenthal (AD 69)
These endorsements come as NARAL Pro-Choice California is ramping up its electoral work during a critical moment in the fight for reproductive freedom. NARAL Pro-Choice America, the organization’s national arm, has already begun accelerating its work to elect candidates up and down the ballot who will take bold action to safeguard and expand abortion rights. NARAL recently announced a partnership with Planned Parenthood Action Fund and EMILY’s List to collectively spend a historic $150 million on the 2022 midterms to elect reproductive freedom champions.
In the coming months, the Supreme Court will rule in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case about Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly challenges Roe v. Wade. A recently leaked draft majority opinion in the case indicates that the Court is poised to overturn Roe and end the constitutional right to abortion as we know it. California is home to more than a quarter of the nation’s healthcare facilities that provide abortion care. If Roe falls, 28 states are likely to take action to prohibit abortion outright, and there could be a 2,923% increase in women of reproductive age whose nearest abortion provider would be in California. The Golden State will have an outsized role in helping pregnant people from all across the country access the abortion care they need.
In response to nationwide attacks on reproductive freedom, NARAL Pro-Choice California and its allies formed the California Future of Abortion Council (CA FAB Council) to create a blueprint for California’s next steps to safeguard and expand abortion access. In March, NARAL Pro-Choice California joined fellow FAB Council steering committee members to announce a legislative package of 13 bills introduced this year that will codify recommendations of the Council.
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For over 50 years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, 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 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.