Bob Dold’s Embrace Of Pence Foreshadowed His Own Anti-Women’s Choice Record
Deerfield, IL — Was it worth the money? When he tried to get into office during the Tea Party wave of 2010, Republican Bob Dold (IL-10) had no problem taking $1,000 from then-Congressman Mike Pence. This foreshadowed Bob Dold’s consistent willingness to go along with the worst anti-choice elements of his Republican Party.
Back in 2007, Mike Pence sponsored legislation in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. Pence’s move sparked the battle over Planned Parenthood that shamefully continues to this day, in large part because Pence went after Planned Parenthood again and again and again.
Did Bob Dold not know or just not care about Pence’s anti-choice crusade when Dold took Pence’s money?
Now Bob Dold refuses to stop the destruction, especially to women’s reproductive rights, that would result from a Trump-Pence victory. In fact, rather than take on Pence, a darling of the Republican base that Dold needs to turn out in a competitive race, for his appalling record on women’s choice, Bob Dold headlined a “Beat Hillary” fundraiser instead. Why is Bob Dold trying to beat Hillary Clinton instead of stopping the only presidential ticket with someone — Pence — who signed eight anti-abortion bills into law?
And while Pence has garnered national notoriety for his radical right-wing agenda, Bob Dold has established a less high-profile yet harmful pattern of anti-choice behavior —NARAL said “Dold has spent his time in Congress obsessed with banning abortion and smearing Planned Parenthood”–that is out of touch with the 10th District:
- Dold introduced a measure to withhold funding of Planned Parenthood for 90 days
- Dold voted for the ‘Let Women Die’ Act that would have allowed hospitals to refuse life-saving care if it conflicted with their corporate religious beliefs
- Dold has headlined campaign events for some of the most vehemently anti-choice Republican candidates in Lake County, including candidates supported by Pro-Life Victory PAC and Lake County Life PAC. This includes the legislator who led the effort to defund Planned Parenthood in Illinois. Nevertheless, Dold referred to this year’s Republican slate as “the strongest that I’ve seen certainly in my time in politics.”
- Dold voted for the Conscience Protection Act — a bill praised by right-wing groups, it would undermine women’s ability to obtain safe, legal abortion care and put women’s health at serious risk in emergencies.
“Vulnerable politicians say a lot of things but true pro-choice advocates don’t do the things that Republican Bob Dold has done,” said Tenth Dems Managing Vice-Chair Barbara Altman. “People like Bob Dold enable people like Mike Pence. And the people of the 10th District deserve better.”
