After months of shadowy activity and legally questionable shell games, Planned Parenthood Southeast’s Alabama PAC finally has revealed a public purpose.
The PAC, now called “Alabama for Healthy Families,” on Thursday in downtown Montgomery launched an all-out effort to kill the proposed Amendment Two on the upcoming November 6 General Election ballot. This amendment “would add language to the state constitution acknowledging the sanctity of unborn life and stipulating that the state constitution provides no right to abortion.”
This came the same week that Democratic nominee for governor and Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox came out in opposition to the amendment, saying he would vote against it.
Planned Parenthood’s PAC is partnering with the ACLU of Alabama to oppose the amendment. They have a “campaign manager” for the efforts and plan to engage in grassroots efforts to defeat the referendum, per a social media post.
The PAC’s newly formed Facebook page even echoed Maddox’s talking point against the amendment, claiming that the measure would leave “no exceptions” in cases of rape, incest or life of the mother. To be clear, current law does allow abortions in these circumstances and the constitutional amendment does not alter this.
In one post, Alabama for Healthy Families asserts that the amendment exemplifies “out-of-touch politicians.” However, polling has overwhelmingly shown that a majority of Alabamians are pro-life, with over half of the populace even thinking abortion should mostly be illegal.
The PAC also campaigned against the pro-life amendment on Saturday at the Gulf Coast Challenge between Alabama A&M and Grambling State in Mobile, where the Maddox camp was also out visiting with voters.
We’ve had a fantastic day in the Azalea City! From our pop-up rally to the Gulf Coast Challenge, Mobile has been full of excitement and support! #believe #alpolitics pic.twitter.com/K6gb1oPoRk
— Walt Maddox (@WaltMaddox) September 23, 2018
In a previous email to Yellowhammer News, a Maddox spokesperson denied that their campaign has had “any interaction with or assistance from” the Planned Parenthood PAC. The spokesperson declined to give “Maddox’s stance on Planned Parenthood in general” and whether he “supports Sen. Doug Jones voting to continue federal funding of Planned Parenthood.”
He then commented, “Walt is a pro-life [D]emocrat who’s opposed to abortion except in cases of rape or [incest] or unless the health or life of the mother is in danger. He also supports pro-life measures like providing families with access to healthcare, mental health treatment, and a strong education system. These are the kinds of issues that matter in the everyday lives of Alabama citizens, and that will actually help decrease the number of abortions.”
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
