Planned Parenthood to spend $10M in North Carolina political campaigns

Several Planned Parenthood organizations on Thursday announced what they called an unprecedented campaign to sway North Carolina voters in the upcoming election. Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood Votes, and Planned Parenthood Action PAC North Carolina aim to knock on one million doors for the effort. They plan to dissuade voters from supporting pro-life candidates and specifically mentioned Mark Robinson, a Republican running for governor. The campaign will use the slogan “Abortion is on the ballot,” leaders said at a Raleigh press conference.

Why the focus on North Carolina? In less than a week, North Carolina will become one of two states in the region to allow abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, Planned Parenthood Votes spokesperson Emily Thompson said. The stakes have never been higher, she said. North Carolina law protects most unborn children after 12 weeks of gestation. In Florida, a law is set to soon take effect protecting most unborn children after six weeks.

Planned Parenthood’s push falls in line with the Biden campaign’s focus on abortion rhetoric, claiming that women’s rights will be taken if President Joe Biden is not re-elected. Vice President Kamala Harris last month became the highest-ranking U.S. official to formally visit an abortion facility during her so-called Fight for Reproductive Freedoms tour.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift on members of the historic Kennedy family throwing support behind the Biden campaign.