Governor-Elect Blunt Responds to NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri's Activists!
Last week, we told you that Governor-Elect Blunt believed that abortions should be banned, even in cases of rape and incest. Our statement to you was based on the fact that in 1999, Blunt voted for the so-called Partial Birth Abortion bill that had no exceptions for rape and incest victims. He later voted against an exception for the health of the woman.
In response to our CAN alert, 310 of you sent letters to him telling him that his extremist views did not represent the majority of Missourians and that you would not stand idly by while he attempted to roll back women’s reproductive rights, including the right to choose.
Within days of those letters, Governor-Elect responded with the attached email to those who had written him. (See his response below.) In his response, he denies that it is his view that abortions should be banned even in cases of rape and incest and expressly claims to support such an exception. Although his voting record as a legislator proves that his statement is not truthful on the matter, we are pleased that Governor-Elect at least now recognizes the right to a safe and legal abortion for at least this small, but important segment of our population.
But what about the rest of the full range of reproductive health care choices? Governor-Elect Blunt says “women’s health care is important to me.” But is Mr. Blunt giving us rhetoric or will funding the family planning program be part of the forthcoming governor’s recommendations? We need to find out!
Last week, more than 300 of you took action and Governor-Elect Blunt responded and changed his tune! That is the power of the Choice Action Network. This week, we want to make sure 1,000 emails make their way to Governor-Elect Blunt’s office. Tell him how important the family planning program is by emailing him at info@govelect.mo.gov.
What else can you do? For a donation of $10, $20, $35 or whatever you can give, become a member of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri today! More than three-quarters of the General Assembly will be anti-choice in 2005. We are facing a state crisis like none we have faced in our history. Since 1969, NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri has worked unceasingly to safeguard a woman’s right to make decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices. And no losses we suffered in the November election will cause us to back down now! But we need your help! Click on the "Support Us” page on our web site to make a donation today, so that we can continue our work to educate, organize and mobilize pro-choice Missourians across the state.
Email From Matt Blunt:
Thank you for your e-mail. I appreciate your interest in the issues facing Missouri. I am sending you this response to address the concerns that you articulated in your message.
During the campaign, there was a great deal of information available about my positions and views. Much of it was accurate but, unfortunately, there was information shared that was either erroneous or intentionally false.
In the final days of the campaign, Planned Parenthood’s national lobby sent a campaign piece to voters on behalf of my opponent. That piece stated that I do not believe in a “rape and incest exception.” The piece also indicated that I would criminalize the actions of women that sought to abort unwanted pregnancies that resulted from rape and incest. This is flatly untrue. I have always believed in and publicly supported a rape and incest exception. Planned Parenthood is aware of my position so I can only assume that this piece was designed to scare voters by intentionally misrepresenting the facts.
I believe that we as a nation and as Missourians need to build a culture that respects human life. We need to look for ways to decrease the number of abortions by promoting adoption and increasing support for women that are facing the challenge of pregnancy. I also believe that we should take action when there is broad consensus – such is the case with partial birth abortion and parental consent.
Women’s health issues are important to me. That is one of the reasons that I support measures to protect physicians – like Ob/Gyns and Gynecological Oncologists – from frivolous lawsuits. I have also advocated mandatory continuous obstetric care so that women in high-risk pregnancies will not have to change doctors because their health care provider has changed. I believe that we need to expand access and increase affordability of health care for all Missourians, and I look forward to working hard to do so in the years to come.
Once again, thank you for making your concerns known to me. I hope that this clears up some of misconceptions that you might have about my views on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Matt Blunt
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