May, 04 2016, 04:30pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Planned Parenthood Action Fund Media Office, 212-261-4433
John Kasich, Who "Made Life Hell" For Women In Ohio, Drops Out of Presidential Race
Kasich Thanked Women for Leaving “Their Kitchens” to Campaign for Him
WASHINGTON
Today, John Kasich, who repeatedly insulted women on the campaign trail, and who Mother Jones declared has "made life hell" for women seeking abortions in Ohio, announced he was dropping out of the Republican presidential race.
Statement from Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
"Today we bid goodbye to John Kasich, a candidate who has repeatedly insulted women on the campaign trail and advocated for policies that punish women for seeking an abortion. Unfortunately, we're left with a presumptive nominee who has carried the same platform. Women in this country need a candidate who will stand up for them, not insult them at every turn. It's more clear than ever before that Hillary Clinton is the champion we need in the White House."
John Kasich is no moderate. He enacted 18 measures to restrict abortion in Ohio. Nearly half of all abortion providers in the state of Ohio have shuttered since he took office. Most recently, John Kasich signed a bill to block patients from care at Planned Parenthood, targeting STI testing, infant mortality prevention, and sex education for youth. On the campaign trail, Kasich repeatedly insulted and alienated women. In fact, activists set upa fake "Dr. John Kasich" facebook page, hitting the Governor of Ohio for his extreme record of cutting women's health care across the state.
How has John Kasich pushed policies that punish women?
- While Governor of Ohio, Kasich enacted 18 measures to ban abortion, and nearly half of the abortion providers in the state have shuttered.
- John Kasich enacted a measure thatprohibited rape crisis counselors from telling women they had the option to access abortion services.
- As reported in Politico, laws signed by Kasich prohibit almost all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, mandate ultrasounds before a woman can get an abortion, and require medically unnecessary and burdensome requirements that have shut down health centers.
- Kasich also signed legislation whichslashed Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies - a Planned Parenthood program that specifically helped prevent infant mortality -- the largest infant mortality prevention program in the state, having served over 2,800 new or expectant mothers in the last year alone. This in spite of the fact that the State of Ohio has the sixth highest infant mortality rate for African Americans in the country and has been rankedthe sixth worst statein the country to raise an African-American child.
- John Kasich then placed the blame for high rates of infant mortality on black women, saying "the [minority] community itself is going to have to have a better partnership with all of us to begin to solve that problem with infant mortality in the minority community, because we're making gains in the majority community."
- That same bill signed by Kasich also eliminated programs for domestic violence prevention, HIV testing, and breast cancer screenings, simply because they were administered through Planned Parenthood health centers.
- Governor Kasich also attacked health care services at Planned Parenthood in 2013. Planned Parenthood health centers served over 80,000 Ohio patients in 2013, providing contraceptive services to over 66,000 patients and STI tests to over 105,000 patients.
And it wasn't just policy. John Kasich had been insulting women on the campaign trail too:
- John Kasich insulted women across America by thanking them for leaving "their kitchens" to help knock on doors for his campaign.
- Earlier on the campaign, Kasich had a blatantly offensive exchange with a young University of Richmond student who was exercising her civic duty by asking Kasich a question about his policies. When calling on her,Kasich said, "I'm sorry, I don't have any tickets for Taylor Swift or anything."
- At another campaign stop in Iowa, Mic reported that, while discussing the fiscal responsibilities of elected officials, Kasich singled out a woman in the audience and asked her, "Have you ever been on a diet?"
- When asked what he would do as president to protect women from domestic violence, John Kasich advised that women should not "go to parties where there's a lot of alcohol."
And worst of all? John Kasich has the exact same approach to women's health as Donald Trump:
In Fact, John Kasich and Donald Trump aren't that different:
Issue | Trump's Position | Kasich's Position |
On abortion | Says he wouldban safe and legal abortion and wouldappoint anti-abortion judges to the Supreme Court. | Has alreadywaged a quiet campaign to ban abortion in Ohio, enacting 18 measures that restrict access to safe, legal abortion. Nearly half the abortion providers in Ohio have shuttered under his watch andhe wants to see the same thing happen as president. |
On Insurance Coverage of Birth Control | Hasprioritized repealing the Affordable Care Act, which has providedmore than 55 million women birth control coverage without a copay. Would useHobby Lobby as a litmus test for appointing a Supreme Court Justice. | Has prioritized repealing the Affordable Care Act, which has provided more than 55 million women now birth control coverage without a copay. |
On Access to Basic Health Care at Planned Parenthood | Wouldrather shut down the government than allow patients to access care at Planned Parenthood and has repeatedly said that he wouldblock patients from care at Planned Parenthood. | Has personally taken it upon himself toblock the 80,000 Ohioans who rely on Planned Parenthood from accessing care there. Said Republicans should"fight like crazy" to end funding for Planned Parenthood. |
Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is many things to many people. We are a trusted health care provider, an informed educator, a passionate advocate, and a global partner helping similar organizations around the world. Planned Parenthood delivers vital health care services, sex education, and sexual health information to millions of women, men, and young people.
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