(Silver Spring, Maryland)
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland issued a challenge to the leading candidates for Governor and Senate to stop divisive attacks on safe, legal abortion and devote their energy to commonsense prevention measures that will improve women’s health and reduce the need for abortion.
NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland’s call is part of a nationwide “Prevention First Challenge for Common Ground” focusing on commonsense measures that would increase women’s access to birth control, teach our young people honest, realistic sex education, and provide better family planning.
In the Senate race, the following candidates have signed on to our pledge: Ben Cardin, Kweisi Mfume, Lise Van Susteren, Josh Rales, Allan Lichtman. Although we have made repeated requests to Luitenant Governor Michael Steele’s campaign, we have received no response.
In the race for Governor, Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley and Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan have both signed on to the Prevention First pledge. Incumbent Governor Robert Ehrlich has not.
“Preventing unintended pregnancies is a commonsense measure that everyone should be able to agree on,” said NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland executive director Ariana Kelly. “We at NARAL Pro-Choice Maryland have long championed the values of freedom and personal responsibility that are the basis for our prevention agenda. We have now redoubled those efforts by focusing on increasing access to birth control, including emergency contraception, comprehensive age-appropriate sex education, and better family planning.”
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Contact: Ariana Kelly, 301-565-4154
