October 14, 2022
Statement From NYS Democrat Chairman Jay Jacobs: Today, Lyin’ Lee Zeldin is trying to falsify his record on abortion, saying he wouldn’t issue an executive order limiting abortion rights if elected governor because of the existing laws passed by the New York State legislature.
Zeldin made promises on the campaign trail to push an anti-abortion agenda if elected. As recently as October, Zeldin pledged to deny taxpayer funding for abortion, deny funding for Planned Parenthood, and reaffirmed his support for abortion bans without exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother, according to a Long Island Coalition for Life questionnaire that Zeldin filled out.
Earlier this spring, Zeldin said that appointing an anti-abortion health commissioner would be a “great idea,” adding, “It would be a great benefit for the state of New York to have a health commissioner who respects life as opposed to what we’re used to.” During the same conversation, he also reassured anti-abortion advocates that they would have “open-door” access to his administration.
“Lyin’ Lee Zeldin is trying to lie his way out of his extreme anti-abortion record and promises on the campaign trail,” said NYS Democratic Party Executive Committee Chair Christine Quinn. “Given his pledges to anti-choice supporters to deny funding for Planned Parenthood, as well as reaffirming his support for abortion bans without exceptions for rape, incest, or life of the mother, we know where Lee Zeldin stands. He cannot be trusted to protect New Yorkers’ abortion access, and must be rejected this November.”
Zeldin has a long record of supporting anti-abortion efforts. He “celebrated” the overturning of Roe, even signing an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, and voted against the Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022. Zeldin is even a current co-sponsor of a bill that fact-checkers at The Gazette found “would outlaw all abortions with no exceptions in cases of rape, incest or risk to the pregnant person.”
In Congress, Zeldin repeatedly voted in favor of 20-week abortion bans, and even voted against allowing an exception when the health of the mother was at risk. He also has a long record of voting against funding for abortion providers, including voting to make the Hyde Amendment permanent and repeatedly voting to defund Planned Parenthood.
These votes alone should disqualify Zeldin as governor of New York. As a reminder, almost two-thirds of New York voters oppose the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe that Zeldin so vocally celebrated.
While Zeldin claims that he “could not change New York’s abortion law” as governor, Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts recently warned about other equally damaging actions Zeldin could take to restrict abortion access and starve abortion providers of necessary funding, given his anti-choice record and promises:
“While issuing an executive order to limit abortion access in New York would certainly be a deeply concerning action, it is not the only action a governor can take to restrict abortion access. In New York, the governor plays a major role in shaping the state budget, which, as we have seen in past administrations, can wield significant sway over the funding and policy priorities that get enacted.”
Let’s get the facts straight. When it comes to protecting New Yorkers’ access to abortion, Lee Zeldin cannot be trusted.
