California Governor Gavin Newsom is launching a series of new ads in Republican states targeting Republican efforts to criminalize abortion and a “war on travel” for reproductive care.
The first ad from Campaign for Democracy, Newsom’s (Pac) political action committee, will air this week in Tennessee, where lawmakers are considering legislation that would make it illegal for anyone to help a minor obtain an abortion without parental consent. . Anyone found guilty of this crime faces a prison sentence of three to 15 years.
Newsom’s ad begins with a young woman handcuffed to a hospital bed as she calls for help. “Trump Republicans want to criminalize young women who travel to get the reproductive care they need,” a voiceover says. “Don’t let them take Tennessee women hostage.â€
Newsom unveiled the ad on Meet the press from NBC News on Sunday. The Pac plans to broadcast them in other states, such as Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma, that are considering similar measures.
“I am concerned about the Supreme Court of the United States, which has once again set the tone and tenor for the debate we are having today. And again, it’s not just a war on travel. It’s not just a war on reproductive health care. It is also a war on women more broadly, including, as we know, contraceptives,” Newsom said Sunday.
Trump has reportedly expressed private support for an abortion ban after 16 weeks of pregnancy. according to the New York Times. “You know what I like about 16?” Trump said to one of these people, who was granted anonymity to describe a private conversation. ‘It’s the same. It’s been four months,†he is quoted as saying.
Newsom was skeptical that Trump would stick to the 16 weeks. “He supports a national ban. And if you’re Lindsey Graham and others, they’ll drop that well below 16. He will sign a national ban,” he said on Meet the Press.
Republicans have struggled this week to formulate a position on IVF after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling said frozen embryos are children. At least three clinics in the state have stopped offering IVF services.
Trump said Friday he supports IVF and urged Alabama Republicans to “act quickly and find an immediate solution to preserve it.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm of Senate Republicans, has also insisted GOP Candidates to Support IVF.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who leads a state that effectively bans abortion, has implemented some of the nation’s laws strictest anti-abortion lawsalso tread carefully when asked Sunday how Texas would respond to the Alabama ruling.
“President Trump made a statement about this and I think this is a goal that we all want to achieve. That is, we want to make it easier for people to have babies, not harder,” he said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union. “The IVF process is a way to give life to even more babies.”
Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican who is an ally of Trump, said Sunday he might support a bill with national protections for IVF.
“Like every bill drafted on Capitol Hill, I want to see the devil in the details. But yes, I could do that – I think I could broadly support that. Because, as I said, IVF is something that is so crucial for many couples. It helps them raise great families. Our country needs that.†he said on Meet The Press.