Press Release California
Press Release
NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Virginia State Sen. Jennifer McClellan for U.S. Congress
For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 15, 2022
Contact: [email protected]
Washington, DC — Today, NARAL Pro-Choice America announced its endorsement of state Sen. Jennifer McClellan for election to Virginia’s 4th Congressional District in the state’s special election. State Sen. McClellan is a proven champion who led the passage of the state’s Reproductive Health Protection Act in 2020, expanding abortion rights and access by ending Virginia’s forced waiting period, mandatory ultrasounds, and targeted restrictions on abortion providers.
NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“State Sen. Jennifer McClellan has steadfastly fought for reproductive freedom while serving in Virginia’s General Assembly, and we need her in Congress to do the same. We are proud to endorse her in this race and know she’ll be the leader we need in the face of House Republicans’ extremism. In November, voters made their values clear—and they’ll do it again in this race by sending state Sen. McClellan to Congress.”
Virginia State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, candidate for VA-04, released the following statement:
“I’m proud to have the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice America, as we work together to protect abortion rights in Virginia and across America. I’m proud to have led the bills in Virginia that ended the ban on abortion coverage on the health care exchange and made Virginia the first state in the South to proactively expand abortion access. I will bring this experience to Congress as we work to protect abortion access in the wake of the damaging Dobbs decision.”
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization—ending the constitutional right to abortion and opening the door for extremist state lawmakers to put total bans on abortion in place. This decision is having a devastating impact throughout the country, as 17 states are enforcing bans on abortion. The people hurt most by these bans and restrictions are those who already face barriers to accessing abortion care—including women; Black, Latina/x, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous people; those working to make ends meet; the LGBTQ+ community; immigrants; young people; those living in rural communities; people with disabilities, and other historically oppressed communities.
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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 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.