Press Release California
Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses James Mackler for U.S. Senate
For Immediate Release: May 12, 2020
Contact: [email protected]
NARAL Pro-Choice America today announced its endorsement of James Mackler in his campaign to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Senate. Mackler is a Nashville attorney, military veteran, and member of the Tennessee National Guard. He is now seeking to fill the seat being vacated by Republican Senator Lamar Alexander.
“James Mackler has been an outspoken champion of reproductive freedom, and NARAL is proud to endorse his candidacy,” said Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Tennesseans deserve a leader in the Senate who will stand up to Marsha Blackburn and her Republican colleagues hellbent on denying women their fundamental freedoms. We’re proud to endorse James and help send a champion for Tennessee women and families to Congress.”
“From attempting to strip Tennesseans of health care in the midst of a pandemic to reviving draconian legislation that sought to ban abortion before many women even know they’re pregnant, Tennessee’s elected officials are more focused on fulfilling campaign promises than they are on serving Tennessee women and protecting their Constitutional rights,” said James Mackler. “I’ve fought to defend individual rights in the courtroom and on the battlefield and I’m honored to have NARAL on our team as I continue that fight now and as Tennessee’s next senator.”
Tennessee already has some of the most severe restrictions on abortion in the United States, including a near-total abortion ban that would go into effect if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned, forcing delays before a woman can receive abortion care, and subjecting women to mandatory biased counseling. Mackler has pledged to fight back against these Republican-led efforts to attack reproductive freedom, and believes medical decisions should be between a patient and their doctor — not meddling politicians.
At least 63% of Tennessee women already live in counties with no abortion clinic, and anti-choice politicians in Tennessee continue to attack reproductive freedom and try to roll back access to abortion. Earlier this year anti-choice Republicans in the state legislature introduced a sweeping bill restricting abortion care — meant to give the state “multiple shots” at ending Roe v. Wade — including a forced ultrasound mandate, a provision allowing for political interference in deeply personal family decisions, and bans on abortion at almost every stage of pregnancy, including before many women even know they’re pregnant.
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NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates and chapters are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all. For more than 50 years, NARAL has worked to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. Since 1969, NARAL has made history, grown to over 2.5 million members, and met the moments that have defined this fight with action, power, and freedom. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”