A national anti-abortion group's questionnaire to Kansas legislative candidates asking them to ban "home abortion kits" has been sent to state legislative candidates in North Dakota as well.
Candidates in North Dakota received a questionnaire from the National Pro-Life Alliance in recent weeks asking them, among other things, if they want to ban the abortion pill, RU-486, which the group deems a "home abortion kit"; to require ultrasounds before an abortion; or to mandate parental and spousal consent for abortions. The questionnaire appears identical to the one sent by the group in Kansas, with the name of the state switched to North Dakota. The North Dakota questionnaire was accompanied by a one-page fact sheet explaining each of the 11 questions.
Kansas state Rep. Sean Gatewood (D-Topeka), who is up for reelection, originally passed the document sent to Kansas legislators along to The Huffington Post, and North Dakota state Rep. Corey Mock (D-Grand Forks) -- also up for reelection -- passed along the documents sent to his state's legislators in response to a HuffPost query.
The North Dakota questionnaire can be viewed here. The explanation sheet can be viewed here.
Among the questions asked include if candidates support: a 24-hour "cooling off period" before abortions, requiring the consent of the father before abortions, banning taxpayer-funded abortions, opting out of federal health care laws requiring insurance coverage for abortions and prohibiting partial-birth abortions and sex-selection abortions. In asking about support for requiring ultrasounds, the questionnaire did not specify between external ultrasounds and invasive transvaginal ultrasounds, a distinction at the center of political controversies in several states, such as Virginia.
In the questionnaire, the alliance says that "thousands of underage girls" receive abortions due to "propaganda efforts of the abortion industry" and do not discuss the decision with their parents. The group also says that fathers are not given a choice in the abortion process, while saying that abortion decisions are "made hastily and under duress." The questionnaire says that Supreme Court is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade and move the issue back to states, while adding that a constitutional amendment is needed to ban abortions. In the explainer, the group says federal approval for RU-486 was "rushed" and ignored several health risks.
The National Pro-Life Alliance did not return several calls for comment on this story. It is not known to how many other states the group has sent the same questionnaire.
*************************
What's happening in your district? The Huffington Post wants to know about all the campaign ads, mailers, robocalls, candidate appearances and other interesting campaign news happening by you. Email any tips, videos, audio files or photos to openreporting@huffingtonpost.com.
Before You Go
