As Republicans shamefully voted to limit women’s access to safe and affordable health care last night, it’s no surprise that Senator Ayotte joined other vulnerable Republicans up for re-election given her history of repeatedly attacking a women’s right to safe and affordable health care by voting to defund Planned Parenthood.
Senator Ayotte has previously voted to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides safe, affordable access to health care for 2.7 million patients annually – including over 14,000 Granite Staters.
“Given Senator Ayotte’s long history of choosing to score cheap political points instead of defending women’s access to critical health care services, it’s not at all surprising that Ayotte voted yet again to defund Planned Parenthood,” said Sadie Weiner, DSCC National Press Secretary. “With last night’s vote, Senator Ayotte made her priorities perfectly clear, and New Hampshire deserves better than a Senator who is willing to put partisanship and political games ahead of access to basic health care.”
BACKGROUND:
AYOTTE PREVIOUSLY VOTED TO DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD, WHICH HAS 2.7 MILLION ANNUAL CLIENTS AND MORE THAN 14,000 PATIENTS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
Planned Parenthood Has 2.7 Million Annual Clients. “The group says its yearly workload includes 4.5 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases; 3.6 million contraception procedures and devices; 1.1 million pregnancy tests and 900,000 cancer tests and treatments. Of Planned Parenthood’s 2.7 million annual clients, mostly women, it says 4 in 5 earn 150 percent of the federal poverty level or less. Democrats say an attack on Planned Parenthood is an effort to keep women, many of them poor, from needed health services.” [Associated Press, 8/3/15]
• Planned Parenthood Has 14,097 Patients In New Hampshire. [Planned Parenthood Federal Of America, July 2015]
Ayotte Voted To Bar Use Of Funds For Planned Parenthood. [CQ, 4/14/11; H.Con.Res. 36, Vote 60, 4/14/11]
Ayotte Voted For 2011 Republican Continuing Resolution. [CQ, 3/9/11; H.R. 1, Vote 36, 3/9/11]
• Continuing Resolution Blocked Funding To Planned Parenthood. “Eliminates Funding for the Title X Family Planning Program, Teen Pregnancy Prevention and Planned Parenthood H.R. 1 eliminates funding for the Title X program, which for more than 40 years has provided family planning services, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and other preventive health care to low-income women in need. Title X-funded health centers serve more than five million low-income women and men each year, and six in 10 women who obtain health care from a family planning center consider it to be their primary source of health care.” [National Women’s Law Center, 3/30/11]
