In a powerful speech at EMILY’s List’s “We Are Emily” conference this morning, Senator Maggie Hassan laid out the stakes of the midterm elections for reproductive rights and criticized her Republican Senate opponents for “pushing an extreme, anti-choice agenda.” In her remarks, Senator Hassan addressed the report that the Supreme Court is set to overturn Roe vs. Wade and strongly condemned the “unprecedented efforts to eviscerate reproductive rights” across the country.
Read key excerpts from her prepared remarks below:
On the Stakes of the 2022 Election:
- “The midterms will be the most important election of our lifetimes. On the ballot will be a woman’s fundamental right to be a full and equal citizen in our democracy. This is a fight not just to defend reproductive health care — but a woman’s right to control her own destiny. And it’s a fight we must win.”
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“The Republican men — and yes they are all men — running against me are all pushing an extreme, anti-choice agenda. One of them was the architect of New Hampshire’s first abortion ban in modern history. Another spent years lobbying to defund Planned Parenthood and make abortion illegal in our state.”
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“If elected to the Senate, they would ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. They would defund Planned Parenthood. They would vote for Justices who will take away the constitutional rights of American women. And anti-abortion activists are already plotting a push for a national ban on abortion — and my opponents would be right there with them. That is their agenda. But I have taken on anti-choice opponents before and won — and together we will do it again.”
On the Supreme Court’s Reported Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade:
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“The 50-year precedent set by Roe v. Wade is on the verge of being overturned. If reports are true, the Supreme Court’s opinion would have catastrophic consequences for millions of Americans and be devastating for the freedom of all women.”
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“A woman’s ability to make her own health decisions is part of her fundamental right to control her own destiny. That right is now under attack in the Supreme Court — and in states across the country, including my home state of New Hampshire.”
On the Importance of Standing Up For Women’s Freedom:
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“We cannot afford to be on the sidelines. We must be determined and relentless. At stake is nothing less than a woman’s fundamental right to live as a free and equal citizen in our country. I know we can do it. I am with you in this fight and I will not back down.”