Press Release California
Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Rep. Peter Welch for Election to the U.S. Senate
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, February 15, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
Rep. Welch earns endorsement of nation’s leading reproductive freedom advocacy group
Washington, DC — Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America announced its endorsement of U.S. Representative Peter Welch in his 2022 bid to become Vermont’s next U.S. Senator. Rep. Welch currently represents Vermont’s at-large congressional district, a seat he has held since 2007.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“NARAL Pro-Choice America is proud to endorse Representative Peter Welch in his campaign to represent Vermont in the U.S. Senate. During his time in the House of Representatives, Rep. Welch has consistently advocated for reproductive freedom and fought back against restrictions on abortion access. At a time when reproductive freedom is under attack like never before, it is imperative to elect leaders like Rep. Welch to the Senate.”
Representative Peter Welch released the following statement:
“Reproductive rights are under attack and we can’t count on the most conservative Supreme Court in modern history to do the right thing and protect the right to choose. In this urgent moment, I’m proud to stand with NARAL in the fight to protect and expand reproductive freedom in Vermont and across the country. I’m proud to have NARAL’s endorsement and will continue to be a steadfast partner in this fight if elected to the Senate.”
Rep. Welch has repeatedly taken bold action to protect and advance reproductive freedom, including access to abortion care, earning him a consistent 100% on NARAL’s Congressional Record on Reproductive Freedom throughout his career. Last year, Rep. Welch cosponsored and voted to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), which would protect the right to abortion nationally, creating a right for healthcare providers to provide abortion care and a corresponding right for people to receive that care, free from bans and medically unnecessary restrictions.
Rep. Welch has cosponsored several critical pieces of legislation to safeguard and expand abortion access, including the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH) Act, which guarantees coverage for abortion care without restrictions based on a person’s income, location, or insurance provider, and would end the discriminatory Hyde Amendment. Rep. Welch also cosponsored the Global HER Act, which would permanently end the anti-choice Global Gag Rule, and the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act, which would end the anti-choice Helms Amendment. He has also spoken out in support of the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, also known as Proposal 5, which would protect the right to reproductive autonomy, including abortion care and contraception in Vermont.
The fight for reproductive freedom is facing a pivotal moment. As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hand down a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—a case regarding Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban that directly challenges Roe v. Wade—it has never been more important to elect leaders who will fight for reproductive freedom. If Roe fell tomorrow, 28 states are expected to take action to prohibit abortion outright. Of those, 12 states already have “trigger bans” in place, which would ban abortion automatically if Roe is overturned. The people hurt most by attacks on reproductive freedom are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Indigenous, and other people of color; those working to make ends meet; LGBTQ+ people; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; and people with disabilities.
###
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.