Selection of Allen as running mate won’t solve his backwards stance on reproductive rights

TRENTON, NJ — During a recent event at a Hunterdon County gun range, Jack Ciattarelli made a promise to his conservative base that he would always be there for them — but he asked for a “little wiggle room” so he can dupe New Jersey voters into believing he takes a more moderate stance on important issues. So it comes as no surprise that Ciattarelli has chosen a running mate in Diane Allen to help promote this false idea that his beliefs are in line with the majority of New Jersey voters.

During the campaign trail, Ciattarelli has made his extreme-right positions clear. He opposes the Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill that would ensure New Jerseyans have the right to make their own personal decisions about reproductive health care, including birth control, prenatal care, and abortion – even as Trump’s Supreme Court is poised to overturn or further erode the rights afforded to us by the historic Roe v. Wade decision during its next term. Ciattarelli has made egregious, damaging statements in opposition to LGBTQ rights, doubling down on his efforts to roll back inclusive curricula that promotes acceptance and understanding in our schools. And with the selection of Diane Allen as his running mate, it’s clear that Ciattarelli plans to obscure his true beliefs once again.

Allen’s record, when it comes to reproductive health care access, is mixed at best. While she did vote in favor of a handful of bills relating to reproductive health care services, such as legislation that would provide Medicaid coverage for family planning services to individuals with incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level, she voted against others. During the Christie administration, Allen placed politics over people by voting against overrides of the former Governor’s vetoes of much-needed funding for family planning services like cancer screenings, birth control, and testing and treatment for STDs. She flat-out voted against the funding in 2015 and 2016, before it could even get to the Governor’s desk.

New Jersey voters won’t be convinced by Ciattarelli’s pick that his views are not as backwards as they truly are. With 80 percent of New Jersey voters wanting to be able to make their own personal health care decisions without interference from politicians like Ciattarelli, we know that the best choice for reproductive health and the future of our state is Governor Phil Murphy.

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Paid for by Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, 196 Speedwell Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey 07960. This expenditure was not made with the cooperation or prior consent of, or in consultation with, or at the request or suggestion of, any candidate, or person or committee acting on behalf of the candidate. Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey (PPAFNJ) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) non-profit social welfare organization, and the advocacy arm of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates in New Jersey. We advocate for access to essential health care through education, activism, voter engagement, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. For more information, visit our website at: www.ppactionnj.org.