Joe O’Dea Must Fully Explain Position On Lindsey Graham’s Abortion Ban

Sep 13, 2022 | News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
CONTACT: Sara Loflin, Executive Director at [email protected]

DENVER: Responding to the announcement today by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina of new legislation in the U.S. Senate that would outlaw abortion care at the arbitrary and unscientific limit of fifteen weeks into pregnancy, ProgressNow Colorado, the state’s largest multi-issue progressive advocacy organization, called on GOP U.S. Senate candidate Joe O’Dea of Colorado to explain in detail his opposition to Graham’s legislation and how it differs from abortion bans O’Dea has previously supported–and apologize to Colorado voters for helping put abortion rights generations have taken for granted in jeopardy.

“Just a few short months ago during the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Joe O’Dea was happy to tell voters that he is ‘personally very pro-life,” said ProgressNow Colorado Executive Director Sara Loflin. “Since then, O’Dea has desperately pinballed between pleasing anti-abortion Republicans while trying to shirk the responsibility every Republican shares for the repeal of Roe v. Wade. Joe O’Dea says he would vote to confirm all of Trump’s justices who voted to end the federal right to abortion, and opposes Colorado’s new laws codifying abortion rights in statute. Last week, O’Dea said his job in the U.S. Senate would be to bring ‘balance to women’s rights,’ sending a chilling and threatening message to every woman in this state.”

“In 2020, Joe O’Dea voted for Proposition 115, an abortion restriction measure with no exceptions for victims of terrible crimes like rape and incest,” said Loflin. “Since then, O’Dea has come out in support of a harsher 20-week abortion ban. Now we know O’Dea’s would-be Republican colleagues in the U.S. Senate are ready to go even further. O’Dea can’t hide behind Roe any longer. As Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate flounder in other states, Mitch McConnell is counting on Joe O’Dea to deliver a Senate majority–a majority that would approve new restrictions on abortion rights.”

“Joe O’Dea wants to have it both ways on abortion rights, but the Republicans counting on him for a Senate majority have shown their cards,” said Loflin. “Now that O’Dea has staked out his support for banning abortion at the arbitrary and unscientific limit of 20 weeks, why not support a ban at 15 weeks? If O’Dea wants to bring ‘balance to women’s rights,’ let him justify these positions with science not misogyny. If there’s anything Colorado voters are tired of, it’s being mansplained our most basic rights.”

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