Mediaboss Marketing

In the United States, more state abortion restrictions were passed in 2021 than any other year since Roe v. Wade was decided. One of the most draconian of these was the SB8 inaptly named the Heartbeat Law, enacted by Texas Republicans.

Texas Republicans extreme abortion ban has no exception for rape or incest, and is designed to prevent doctors from being able to freely carry through with medical practices that are unquestionably in the best physical, mental, and emotional interest of the mother.

Furthermore, a record number of states have taken action to prevent many qualified family planning providers from participating in their Medicaid programs, undercutting access to a broad range of reproductive health care services including contraceptives and preventive care such as cancer screenings for low-income people.

With the Dobbs ruling, Americans can no longer rely on federal protections to protect their right to bodily autonomy, and for that reason state officials have outsized power compared to the previous decades.

Access to abortion is not only a fundamental matter of our right to privacy but also a matter of equity and personal and public health:

Policy Proposals from Beto ORourke for Governor:

All Texans deserve the freedom to make their own decisions about their own body, their own health care, and their own future. We deserve the freedom to decide if, when, and with whom to start a family.

Beto trusts Texas women to make their own health care decisions.

Abbotts eight years of attacks on reproductive freedom have shuttered womens health clinics across the state, making it harder and harder for women to receive a cervical cancer screening, maternal health checkup, or family planning help of any kind. On his watch, Texas ranks dead last in the nation for access to prenatal and maternal health care, which helps to explain how our statethe ninth largest economy on planet earthhas one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world.

In addition to using every tool available to repeal Abbotts dangerous abortion ban, Beto will veto any future legislation that seeks to further control women, including Republican proposals to limit access to contraception, prevent Texans from crossing state lines to seek reproductive care, and prosecute businesses that pay for employees to seek care in other states.

While strengthening investments in affordable contraception, cancer screenings, and other crucial family planning services, Beto will also support healthy babies and combat Texas maternal mortality crisis by expanding Medicaid and increasing pregnancy Medicaid eligibility to one-year postpartum.

Policy Proposals from Mike Collier for Lt. Governor and Rochelle Garza for Attorney General:

Mike Collier will fight to ensure that women and their doctorsnot politiciansmake decisions about their own healthcare.

As Lt. Governor, he will work to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law. He will put an end to the constant culture wars that have consumed our state government and pit Texan against Texan.

Indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Republicans showed with their lawsuit to block protections for women who are in a medical emergency that theyll stop at nothing to exert control over Texans and steamroll Texans with their extreme, far-right ideologies. This is not about being pro-life. This is about forcing birth, even if it will literally kill women.

As our next Attorney General, Rochelle Garza is committed to defending the rights of women and pregnant people whenever theyre threatened, and will not pursue litigation to implement Texas trigger law nor prosecute abortion providers, including doctors who provide life-saving treatment. In the words of Rochelle Garza: Abortion care is health care, and health care is a human right.

While extremist Republicans on the Supreme Court overruled Roe with Dobbs, President Biden signed an Executive Order Protecting Access to Reproductive Health Care Services. This Executive Order builds on the actions his Administration has already taken to defend reproductive rights by:

The Presidents Executive Order takes additional steps to protect patient privacy, including by addressing the transfer and sales of sensitive health-related data, combatting digital surveillance related to reproductive health care services, and protecting people seeking reproductive health care from inaccurate information, fraudulent schemes, or deceptive practices.

Issuing new guidance to address how the HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the privacy of individuals protected health information, including information related to reproductive health care. The guidance helps ensure doctors and other medical providers and health plans know that, with limited exceptions, they are not required and in many cases, are not permitted to disclose patients private information, including to law enforcement.

The Attorney General will provide technical assistance to states affording legal protection to out-of-state patients as well as providers who offer legal reproductive health care.

While Texas Republicans at the state level stripped people of their reproductive autonomy and freedom, Democrats have delivered for abortion rights not just at the federal level, but also at the local level:

Austin City Council led the way with the GRACE (Guarding the Right to Abortion Care for Everyone) Act that essentially relegates abortion cases as the lowest level of priority by the Attorney General, thus rendering SB8 ineffective within the city.

Officials in Travis, Bexar, Nueces, Fort Bend, and Dallas Counties have sought out similar protections, as well as the cities of Houston, San Marcos, and Denton.

Travis County District Attorney Jos Garza has said his office would not prosecute crimes under the law. Enforcing this law will not only fail to promote or protect public safety but will also lead to more harm, he reiterated in a statement Thursday. Our office will continue to fight for and protect womens rights and use our discretion to avoid tragedy and preventable harm in our community.

San Marcos City Council Member Maxfield Baker said San Marcos Police Departments directive is comparable to Austins GRACE Act. Everything is so new that our community members are afraid. They dont know whether or not police officers are going to pursue this or where its going to land on their priority list, Baker said. I want to send the right message to our community that we have their backs, were looking out for them and that we share some of these concerns because were still in these uncertain times.

Having Democrats in positions of power at city, county, state, and federal levels all serve as backstops to either circumvent or overrule the horrifying agenda of anti-abortion advocates in order to give bodily autonomy and the right to medical privacy back to Texans.

Read the original here:
FACT SHEET: How Democrats Will Deliver for Abortion Access in Texas - Texas Democratic Party

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

During an interview on "Fox & Friends Weekend," Saturday, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., denounced President Biden for his divisive speech on Thursday evening, arguing that it is "incumbent" for Republicans to fight for the "soul" of America this November.

REP. BYRON DONALDS: He's only doing this because he knows he did a terrible, stupid thing. That speech was dumb. They shouldn't have ever done it. The imagery was bad, but the words and the destruction to the country was far worse. Look, somebody should remind Joe Biden that the issue he has right now with his approval numbers is that you have Independents and also some Democrats who don't agree with how he's doing his job. This president has ignored the rule of law at the southern border. This president is forgiving anywhere from $300 billion to $1 trillion in student loans where he has no legal authority to do this. This president signed off on an Inflation Reduction Act where he and his party lied because it's really about the Green New Deal and climate change.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on what he calls the "continued battle for the Soul of the Nation" in front of Independence Hall at Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia, U.S., September 1, 2022. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY/File Photo)

But they couldn't get that through if they told the truth, so they lied to the American people. Those are threats to the democracy as well. But last thing for Joe Biden. It's incumbent now for Republicans, whether you're a MAGA Republican, mainstream Republican, whatever the classifications are, or frankly, any American to actually fight for the soul of America. It's a fight for the soul of the republic, because we do not believe in just ignoring the rule of law when it suits your interests. And we definitely don't believe in either packing or unwinding the Supreme Court because we did not get our way. That's what Joe Biden believes. That's what Raphael Warnock believes. That's what Katherine Masto in Nevada believes. Mark Kelly in Arizona believes. Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire believes. They believe that stuff. They will vote for that stuff. They will do that stuff.

VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS AVOID BIDEN'S ANTI-MAGA SPEECH, TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATES FIRE BACK AT DIVISIVE REMARKS

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

This article was written by Fox News staff.

See original here:
Democrats are tactically ignoring the rule of the law: Rep. Byron Donalds - Fox News

When a stream of Democratic candidates trek to Los Angeles this month in likely their final effort to raise money before the midterms, they will be met by Hollywood supporters who are less deflated than they once were about the partys prospects in November: Call them cautious, if maybe a bit more optimistic.

President Joe Bidens recent legislative wins, coupled with a renewed focus on the chaos of Donald Trump, has given industry Democrats reason to believe that the party wont face quite the drubbing that they did in the past. The backlash to the Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v Wade, fueling a new wave of activism within the industry, has raised hopes that it will translate into improved turnout, and perhaps even match what is expected on the GOP side.

The victory last week of Pat Ryan in a purple New York congressional district was seen as a bit of a bellwether, as he emphasized the Supreme Courts abortion ruling and the need to protect a womens right to choose. And even if retaining the House still seems like a long shot, the chances are better in the Senate, particularly given the missteps of Republican candidates in key races, including Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania, while their Democratic rivals highlight their extreme positions.

In the coming weeks, candidates including Beto ORourke, challenging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott; Mandela Barnes, running to unseat Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH), seeking an open seat in Ohio, are planning to headline L.A. fundraisers, while administration figures like Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg are expected to help draw donors and supporters to various events. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), facing a tight race for reelection, raised money last week at an event along with Cheri Beasley, seeking a U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina.

Already, figures like Carole King and Bradley Whitford have lent their names to fundraising emails, while Hollywood money has poured into a number of super PACs seeking to protect the Democratic majority.

In terms of peoples excitement level and people getting worked up, it is night and day versus earlier in the year, said Mathew Littman, a strategist who leads the Entertainment Industry Working Group, a set of politically engaged actors, writers and other creatives. It is not a fund-raising entity.

Ken Solomon, president of the Tennis Channel, who has been giving to numerous candidates, said that there is a cautious and measured optimism over the partys prospects, or the idea that the historic pattern of midterm losses for the party in power may not swing quite as hard.

He said that the Supreme Court decision has made real what was unimaginable to many people. Abortion rights and reproductive rights are things that are really ringing the bell for people on the reality of where we stand.

As bleak as prospects seemed at the start of the summer, Democrats actually have been positing solid fundraising numbers, including from the entertainment industry.

Showbiz donors have contributed almost $45 million to federal candidates and committees as of mid-August according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That likely has a shot at matching the more than $58 million raised in the 2018 cycle, when many Democrats ran as a check on then-President Donald Trump. According to the CRP, 88% of the showbiz money this cycle has gone to Democrats and 12% to Republicans. Lopsided as the figures are, the exception is the Motion Picture Association and media corporate PACs which, as they traditionally do, spread the wealth between the parties.

The top recipient, according to the data, is Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), who has collected just over $875,000 from industry sources, as he is in a tight race against Herschel Walker for a full U.S. Senate term.

Ted Snowdon Productions, the theatrical producer, accounted for the top contributions, with just over $2.5 million, all to Democrats, followed by employees at Fox Corp. at almost $2.4 million, with 52.5% of that amount going to Republican candidates.

What has helped drive up the numbers, though, have been big outlays to super PACs, which can collect unlimited contributions from donors.

One of the largest donations to the Senate Majority PAC, seeking to retain or expand the Democrats Senate majority, is Netflixs Reed Hastings, who gave $2 million. Other significant contributions came from Seth MacFarlane and Jeff Skoll, who each have given $1 million. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) may be returning for another SMP fundraiser this fall.

Haim and Cheryl Saban each have given $500,000 to the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund, set up to raise money for the Democratic National Committee and state parties, while MacFarlane has given $365,000. Other six-figure contributions have come from Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw, J.J. Abrams and Katie McGrath, Byron Allen and Jake Kasdan.

Nancy Pelosi has been among the most prolific and effective fundraisers for Democrats as they defend a very thin majority in the House. Shes returning for a Sept. 10 event at the home of Alan and Cindy Horn, according to a source.

The Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund has drawn significant contributions from figures including Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the founders of Sesame Workshop, who has given $266,300, with Saban and MacFarlane each giving nearly equal amounts. Katzenberg contributed $263,400 this year and $263,400 in contributions last year, according to Federal Election Commission data, while Spielberg gave $133,150 in June and $150,000 last year. Others who have written six-figure checks include Allen and Marcy Carsey.

Andy Spahn, political consultant with Gonring Lin Spahn, said he was very optimistic about the Democrats chances to hold the Senate or expand their majority, while the House will be tougher but the political climate has improved dramatically for Democrats in the past few weeks.

Donor enthusiasm remains strong. Donors understand the stakes could not be greater, he said via email. The next couple of years are truly about saving our democracy.

Adam McKay, who has shunned the fundraising circuit and has been outspoken about the influence of money in politics, said that he is now more optimistic after Biden issued an executive order to cancel a portion of student debt, something he sees as exactly what people have been begging for for years. (See sidebar here).

The Entertainment Industry Working Group plans to travel to Michigan for get-out-the-vote efforts, with actors, writers and directors aiming to help candidates such as Jocelyn Benson, seeking another term as secretary of state, and Gretchen Whitmer, seeking reelection as governor.

People were really burnt out and despondent earlier in the year, and it seemed to peak with the abortion decision, Littman said.

The caution comes from the fact that there still are two months until the election. Polls in 2020 predicted Democratic gains in Congress, but the party lost seats in the House. And many Democrats candidates have yet to face the avalanche of ads from GOP Senate committees and PACs in states like Ohio and Wisconsin.

Biden, meanwhile, spoke on Thursday evening about the continued battle for the soul of the nation, tying in his campaign theme that Republicans have embraced an extreme ultra MAGA agenda. With Trump again tearing up social media with barrages of messages, there is a sense that the coming election may be less of a referendum on the current occupant of the White House.

If the message is that the GOP has embraced extremist candidates and positions, Solomon noted, that makes common sense and sanity seem like a better respite for voters.

Read more:
Hollywood Democrats Pour Money Into Midterms With A Tinge Of Hope And A Lot Of Caution - Deadline

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Nearly two months out from the 2022 midterm elections, President Biden has endorsed only three Democrats running for House seats and one candidate for governor, well behind former President Donald Trump's support for dozens of Republicans in 2018.

Biden's early midterm message has been that voters must reject "MAGA Republicans" in the November election, or risk losing equality and democracy in the nation. During his speech in Philadelphia Thursday, Biden suggested that voters should fear the GOP would remove rights if they win in November, since "MAGA forces are determined to take this country backwards."

The president did not mention legislative accomplishments or the recent student loan handout in his Thursday speech, and mostly avoided policies he would push for if Democrats maintain control of the House after November.

Biden has voiced support or campaigned with many Democrats, but his official endorsements could show a hesitance among Democrats to avoid being tied to the president's low approval rating.

BIDEN SAYS 'MAGA REPUBLICANS' THREATEN DEMOCRACY AS HE AND DEMS CRANK UP ANTI-TRUMP RHETORIC AHEAD OF MIDTERMS

Former President Trump and President Biden (Getty Images)

Though previous presidents have stayed out of primary fights, Trump was far more politically active in seeking to shape the face of the Republican Party. Still, Biden has endorsed three Democrats who were running in House primaries in 2022, and also endorsed Wes Moore, the Maryland Democrat running against Trump-backed Dan Cox in Maryland's gubernatorial primary.

Biden's low number of endorsements is in line with previous presidents who avoided stepping into primary politics, Kevin Walling, Democratic strategist and surrogate for Biden's 2020 presidential run, previously told Fox News Digital.

While Trump has been focused on endorsements and "putting his image in the Republican Party," Biden "is more similar to past presidents in that he has not engaged in primary elections," Walling told Fox News Digital.

Though Trump as president was far more active politically in handing out endorsements, even in primary contests in 2018, as well as 2020 and the current midterm cycle, Biden has dipped his toe in early endorsements as president. By early July, Biden had endorsed three Democrats in congressional primaries, two of which won. In addition to the House and gubernatorial endorsements, Biden has endorsed Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif. once considered a short lister for Biden's vice presidential pick in her campaign to be mayor of Los Angeles.

WILL BIDEN'S NEW 'MAGA REPUBLICAN' RHETORIC HELP OR HURT DEMOCRATS' CHANCES IN NOVEMBER'S ELECTIONS?

In comparison, by the end of August 2018, Trump's only midterm cycle as president, he had endorsed 14 Republican House candidates and would go on to endorse a total of 49 by the general election. He also had endorsed 18 Senate contenders and 14 candidates for governor across the nation by Sept. 1, 2018.

This year, Trump has been even more active, endorsing 22 Senate candidates and over 100 House contenders.

Biden has started speaking more about the November midterm elections, framing it as a choice between "semi-fascism" of the GOP, as he called it in a speech in Maryland this week, versus freedom and democracy.

During his speech to the Democratic National Committee in Maryland, Biden announced his endorsement of Moore. "I respect conservative Republicans," Biden said in his speech. "I do not respect MAGA Republcans."

One of the Democrats Biden endorsed in the primary season Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio did welcome the president during his visit to Cleveland in June. Biden complimented Brown, asking her to "remember me when you're president."

CAMPAIGN ADS SHOW DEMOCRATS RUNNING REPUBLICAN MESSAGES AS THEY SEEK TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES FROM BIDEN, PARTY

But some Democrats running in tight congressional races, however, have been cool about tying themselves to Biden.

Over a dozen political ads from across the country reviewed by Fox News Digital show Democratic candidates campaigning as being independent of their own party leaders, with some even highlighting how they opposed President Biden's agenda.

President Biden is greeted, from left to right, by U.S. representatives Shontel Brown and Marcy Kaptur and U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown upon his arrival at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland July 6, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP)

One of the strongest ads from a candidate seeking to not be tied to Bidencame from Rep. Nancy Kaptur, D-Ohio, Friday, where a narrator states: "Joe Biden is letting Ohio solar manufacturers be undercut by China, but Marcy Kaptur is fighting back." The narrator declares that Kaptur is not working for Biden, but is "working with Republican Rob Portman, protecting our jobs."

DEMOCRATIC REP. MARCY KAPTUR TOUTS 'FIGHTING BACK' AGAINST BIDEN WEEKS AFTER EMBRACING HIM ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL

The strategy of running against the national party, while still aiming to keep that party in power, is not new and could help to bring over voters in the middle, who are not solid Democrat or Republican voters.

"Him endorsing a Democrat is like throwing them a concrete life preserver," Mike Shields, a Republican strategist and former chief of staff for the Republican National Committee, previously told Fox. "It's just not going to help them. It's actually going to harm them. I think most Democrats in competitive races are going to say, I would rather not have a president whose approval rating is in the 30s anywhere near my campaign."

President Biden (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Biden's low approval ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks, though it is still underwater, and the recent legislative victories appear to have boosted his popularity.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The president is expected to give a speech Thursday in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where he is expected to continue to urge voters to reject "MAGA Republicans" as a threat to democracy.

Thomas Phippen is an Editor at Fox News.

Read the original post:
Weeks from midterm elections, Biden has endorsed just three Democrats while calling GOP 'threat' to democracy - Fox News

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Theres abipartisanconsensus that the Democrats' "stunning turnaround" in recent polls has a lot to do with abortion. Pewfoundthat from March to August the percentage who said abortion was "very important" for the 2022 elections went from 43% to 56%. And during that time 538recordedRepublicans going from the 2.1% lead in the genetic ballot over Democrats to a 0.9% deficit.

Abortion rights activists were ready to pounce as soon asDobbswas decided. Much aswhat happened in Ireland when abortion activists there defeated their pro-life constitution, U.S. abortion activists have cynically seized on very rare (though admittedly difficult) cases involving the life and health of pregnant women trying to paint a picture of massive numbers of women dying of laws protecting prenatal justice.

But Irish law defended prenatal children as legal persons for decades, and they still hadbetter health outcomes for women than their abortion-permissive neighbor, England.Polandhas the lowest rate of maternal mortality in all of Europe despite having some of the strictest laws against abortion.Chileactually saw their maternal health numbersimproveafter they banned most abortions.

RUBIO RESPONDS TO DEMINGS' COMMENTS, ACCUSES DEM OPPONENT OF SUPPORTING ABORTION 'AT ANY POINT'

If U.S. pro-lifers had been ready for the activist onslaught, we could have been creating a (true) counter-narrative about the fact that pro-life hospitals andOB/GYNs are 100% committed to saving the lives of women.

Graffiti and red paint found at Washington, DCs Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center. (Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center) (Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center)

But not all the blame lies with activists. It is difficult to create a national counter-narrative, frankly, when the supposedly pro-life national party is running scared.

Much attention was focused on the House special election for New Yorks 19thDistrict. Asreported by Axios, the Democrat centered his campaign on abortion while the Republican ran away from the issue, focusing on the economy and crime. The Democrat won by the same margin Biden carried the district (two points) in 2020 just the latest evidence that the expected red wave may be turning into a trickle.

But what if Republicans in New York focused on the fact that the Empire State, after the passage of the Reproductive Health Act, is a haven for some of the worst abortion extremism in the entire world? What if Republicans all over the United States had a coherent campaign focusing on the fact that the Democratic Party itself stands for this same kind of extremism?

Back in 2016 I wrote ajoint op-edin theLos Angeles Timesshowing that the partys position was unequivocal support for abortion, with a pledge to repeal all state and federal laws restricting it. They even insisted that abortion was "core to womens, mens, and young peoples health and wellbeing." They removed protections for religious freedom and insisted pro-lifers should have to pay for abortions with our tax dollars.

This position is about the most unpopular position one could take on almost any issue.

Gallupconsistently finds, for instance, that about 8-13% of Americans want no legal restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks. To put this into perspective, theworst approval rating for a presidentbelonged to Harry Truman: 22%.

The Democratic position on abortion isalmost twiceas unpopular as the most unpopular president in our history. If you cant run against the Democrats on abortion, then you cant run against them on anything.

Here are just a handful of suggestions for the GOP to make the easy case against their opponents:

The Democratic position on abortion isalmost twiceas unpopular as the most unpopular president in our history.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE OPINION NEWSLETTER

The GOP has been feckless on abortion for decades. Who could forget, for instance,Republican Timothy Murphy trying to coerce his mistress into having an abortion despite his being a member of the congressional pro-life caucus! Pro-lifers, therefore, have good reason to be skeptical about selling out to a party for short-term political gain especially when we have clear incentives to play the long game in order to win the political culture.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This fact comes a warning for a cowardly GOP: if you keep this up, pro-lifers will either stay home or turn elsewhere in November. You must prove that you will publicly and confidentially defend a pro-life positionnot just on social media or in fundraising mailers but in a post-Dobbs moment when your position actually matters in the real world.

Read more:
If Republicans can't run against Democrats on abortion, they can't run against them on anything - Fox News