Democrats Hold Day of Action to Engage Columbus Voters, Rally Around Reproductive Rights

Today, joined by local elected officials, reproductive rights advocates, organizers, and volunteers, Columbus Democrats held a Day of Action to Defend Choice in support of pro-choice Democratic candidates. The group launched a canvassing and phone banking operation centered on engaging and mobilizing voters in support of Democratic candidates who will defend reproductive freedom and Georgians’ fundamental right to make private medical decisions for themselves.

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“We refuse to be silent and let Republicans take away our fundamental right to control our bodies and make our own private medical decisions. Now, the most deeply personal medical decisions a person will ever make are no longer in the hands of patients and their doctors, but are instead controlled by politicians like Governor Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr — politicians who have no medical expertise,” asserted Columbus City Councilwoman Toyia Tucker. “Kemp’s abortion ban will have an even more harmful impact on Black women, who are over three times more likely to die due to childbirth. Georgia women are terrified, knowing if they have a complicated pregnancy they may run into not just health care challenges, but could face prosecution if something goes wrong. What happened in Kansas is proof of what’s possible here in Georgia. Voters are energized and motivated to fight for their rights and push back against politicians’ extreme attempts to outlaw abortion and other reproductive care. Now, it’s up to us to bring that same energy to the ballot box here in Georgia. We can protect reproductive rights here, too – but we’ve got to elect pro-choice candidates this November – people like Stacey Abrams for Governor, Jen Jordan for Attorney General, and Reverend Warnock for U.S. Senate.”

“As someone who personally experienced an ectopic pregnancy, I know first-hand how crucial it is that women have immediate access to life-saving reproductive care services. Kemp’s law makes abortion illegal before most women even think to buy a pregnancy test — it’s one of the most restrictive in the nation,” stated Leslie Lanning, a Columbus woman who suffered an ectopic pregnancy. “We saw what happened in Kansas, voters showed up and sent a clear message: stop trying to take away our rights. We can protect our reproductive rights by electing candidates who will fight to defend them. That’s why we’re here today, to spread the word that our rights are under attack. Organizing around this issue could not be more important. Georgia women are terrified and we’re pissed off — and now it’s the Republicans that should be scared. We’re coming for their jobs in November, and groups like ours are on the front lines, putting in the work to make it happen.”

Background: The day of action comes just after Kansas voters turned out in record numbers to protect reproductive freedom and reject a restrictive constitutional amendment that could have led to abortion bans. Amid the result, voters across the country are energized and motivated to fight for their rights against extreme attempts to outlaw abortion. Anti-choice politicians like Gov. Brian Kemp, who signed an extreme law that makes abortion illegal before most women even know they’re pregnant, should be on high alert that their restrictive, unpopular laws are backfiring, motivating voters to turn out against them in November.

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