NARAL Made A Terrible Mistake Today-- They Should Correct It

Today I read that Oklahoma is sending a bill to the governor that would establish a database of pregnant women so that state officials can track and try to deter them from obtaining abortions-- "a registry to shame pregnant people is about to become law. And it is just one of the 507 anti-abortion bills being considered across the country at this very moment. With an extremist right-wing Supreme Court about to overturn Roe v. Wade, the only way to defeat these bills is for Congress to protect reproductive rights, and the Senate is taking up the Women’s Health Protection Act next week to do just that."

And yet NARAL just endorsed long-time anti-Choice Democrat Tim Ryan in the Democratic primary against a pro-Choice woman, Morgan Harper. I could understand NARAL endorsing Ryan if he wins the primary and is facing a psychopath like Josh Mandel but, let's be real-- Tim Ryan was an active anti-Choice Democrat for most of his career and even after he was finally persuaded to stop being anti-Choice, he kept the switch on the down-low for years!

After the disgraceful NARAL endorsement, Morgan Harper, who they should have endorsed, said "Tim Ryan cannot be trusted to stand up for women or to protect our rights. He's an opportunist, period. Ohio's women deserve better. I will never waver when it comes to protecting abortion rights, and I will always be a champion for our reproductive health and freedom."

Her campaign released Ryan's anti-Choice record:

• 2002: Ryan first ran for Congress as an opponent of abortion rights.

• 2003: Ryan voted twice for the "Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act," which became law and which contains no exception for a woman's health.

• 2003: Ryan voted to ban therapeutic cloning, which researchers believed could have been used to create treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, diabetes, and other debilitating diseases. Anti-choice activists objected to the practice because of the destruction of human embryos.

• 2003: Ryan scored a 10% on the NARAL scorecard.

• 2003: Ryan voted to continue a ban on military personnel and their dependents from obtaining abortions at overseas military hospitals, even using their own funds.

• 2004: Ryan scored a 35% on the NARAL scorecard.

• 2004: Ryan voted for the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act," which opponents viewed as an effort to undermine Roe v. Wade.

• 2004: Ryan again voted to continue the ban on military personnel and their dependents from obtaining abortions at overseas military hospitals, even using their own funds.

• 2005: Ryan scored a 15% on the NARAL scorecard.

• 2005: Ryan, for a third time, voted to continue the ban on military personnel and their dependents from obtaining abortions at overseas military hospitals, even using their own funds.

• 2005: Ryan voted for the "Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act," which would have created a national parental notification law.

• 2006: Ryan voted for the "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act," which would have forced doctors to inform women seeking abortions that their fetuses could feel pain.

• 2006: Ryan, for a fourth time, voted to continue the ban on military personnel and their dependents from obtaining abortions at overseas military hospitals, even using their own funds.

• 2006: Ryan again voted for the "Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act"

• 2006: Ryan scored 0% on the NARAL scorecard.

• 2009: Ryan published an op-ed for US News defending his "pro-life" credentials, standing by his anti-choice votes, and stating that healthcare reform should not allow funding for abortions: “I am a pro-life member of Congress. I have voted in favor of parental notification laws, for the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, against abortion in federally funded military medical facilities, for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, against partial-birth abortion, and against human cloning. I stand by all those votes and, in addition, I have explained to Speaker Pelosi my position that healthcare reform should prohibit public funds from paying for abortions (a provision which the House Energy and Commerce Committee added to the bill).”

• 2009: Ryan published a letter to the editor in the Vindicator defending his "pro-life" credentials: "I believe that for elected leaders like myself who oppose abortion, it’s not enough to say what we’re against; we must say what we are for. That is why I introduced the “Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act,” which offers common-ground policy solutions to reduce abortions by addressing the root causes."

• 2009: Ryan voted for Stupak Amendment, which blocked funding for abortions.

• 2009: Ryan scored a 50% on the NARAL scorecard.

• Until 2009: Ryan served on the board of "Democrats for Life."

• 2015: Ryan announced his change in position on abortion rights.

If you'd like to contribute to Morgan Harper's campaign, you can do it here on the Blue America 2022 Senate page. Unlike Ryan, she isn't afraid to speak loudly and firmly about women's choice. Right from her website: "We cannot let an extremist Supreme Court take away our fundamental right to choose. Our bodies are our own. This is a fight I will never, ever waver on. I was born to a teenager who was not prepared to raise me and gave me up for adoption. At the core of that story is a decision, a decision that every person has a right to make for themselves. We will stand together to make sure the far-right cannot drag our communities backwards, putting lives at risk and cutting reproductive healthcare resources."