Commentary

Abortion Rights Groups Respond to Selection of Steve Bannon as Top Adviser to President-Elect Trump


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Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–November 15, 2016. In response to Donald Trump’s selection of white nationalist Steve Bannon as chief strategist and senior counselor in the White House, Ilyse Hogue and Destiny Lopez issued the following statements:

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America said: “If anyone had any question about whether Donald Trump’s racist and misogynistic statements during the campaign were just for ‘entertainment value,’ his appointment of Steve Bannon as a top adviser in his administration should put those right to rest. Bannon is the godfather of the white nationalist alt-right movement, which places a belief in a ‘natural hierarchy’ at the center of its values—where men are better than women, where white evangelicals are better than everyone else. Donald Trump told us to take him at his word during the election and his actions are proving that we should.

“We know many individual voters—many otherwise good people—turned a blind eye to these elements during the campaign. They ignored the degradation of women perpetuated by Bannon’s organizations—claiming a woman who takes birth control is ‘fat,’ ‘unsexy,’ and ‘a slut.’ They ignored his multiple brushes with law, such as being charged with beating his wife and being accused (like his boss) of sexual harassment against women. We need all of those people now—people of conscience—to stand with us and all vulnerable communities in demanding that the likes of Steve Bannon have no place in leadership moving forward.

“Doing anything else is an accepting a worldview where there are two classes of Americans. Doing anything less would say go ahead and throw Roe v. Wade on to the ash heap of history, and yes, punish women who have the gall to chart our own course. Doing anything less would normalize the kind of bigotry that should never be normal in this country we love.”

Destiny Lopez, Co-Director of All* Above All and the All* Above All Action Fund, said: “We have a saying in Spanish ‘dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres’—tell me who you surround yourself with and I’ll tell you who you are. Not a week has passed since Trump’s election to the Presidency and already he is surrounding himself with dangerous fringe characters.”

“The President must oversee domestic policy as it relates to violence against women and girls, employment discrimination, education, reproductive rights, and countless other issues. Steven Bannon is a proud misogynist and white supremacist who hosted some of the internet’s most vile, anti-woman hate speech,” Lopez continued. “By naming Bannon to one of the most powerful advisory positions in the White House, President-Elect Trump is telling the women and girls of this country that we don’t matter. That our humanity has no place in his administration. For women and girls of color, Bannon is a doubly terrifying choice.”

NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”

The All* Above All campaign is dedicated to lifting bans that deny abortion coverage. It is a diverse effort empowering a new generation to stand up, be bold and take action with its fresh, uplifting vibe, its focus on digital and grassroots strategies, and its commitment to reproductive justice. Learn more at allaboveall.org and follow our social media at @allaboveall.

Source: http://prochoiceamerica.org

 

 


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