New York Voters Send Right Wing Packing in 23rd Congressional District

As watchdogs for women’s reproductive rights in New York State, Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York (PPANY) was heartened to see voters in New York’s 23^rd Congressional District send Conservative Party Candidate Doug Hoffman packing by voting in Bill Owens as their next Representative in Washington.

In this dynamic race, PPANY endorsed Dede Scozzafava, the Republican candidate, who has consistently and courageously stood up for the health and rights of women and their families, often times crossing party lines to do what is right for her community. The GOP failed to back its own candidate, and, in fact, the party allowed outside influences such as the New York State Conservative Party and the Club for Growth to hijack the election and force out a highly regarded candidate who is part of the fabric of that community. This is not good for the GOP or for women.

What does all this electoral chaos mean for the women of New York’s 23^rd Congressional District? According to the Guttmacher Institute, 37,220 women in New York’s 23^rd were in need of publicly supported contraceptive services in 2006. Publicly funded family planning centers only served 19,820 women that year, just more than half of those in need. Certainly, the need has only grown since then. Today, more than 6 in 10 patients who receive care at a women’s health center, like Planned Parenthood, consider it their primary source of health care. Women need representatives in Congress who will fight for access to these vital health care services.

We are excited to have the opportunity to work with Representative-elect Bill Owens on issues that are important to the women and families of the 23^rd Congressional District. No doubt he’ll be faced with these issues right away.

The women and families of New York State, including those living in the 23^rd Congressional District, deserve Congressional leaders who will fight for access to the most basic of health care needs for women and who will not be beholden to outside influences. Thankfully, the voters in this election came to the same conclusion.

 

Follow M. Tracey Brooks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/WomensHealthNY