Politician Opposes Expansion of Health Care for Women, Favors Abortion Restrictions – Even in Cases of Rape and Incest
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — As Election Day draws nearer, state house candidate Gary Loe’s extreme views on women’s rights and access to health care are becoming more clear. A recently discovered candidate survey shows Loe’s extreme position on abortion is consistent with his opposition to enacting new health care protections for women.
“Women’s health decisions should be made by women, not by politicians like Gary Loe,” said Chip Forrester, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party. “Gary Loe’s obsolete ideas would take us back to when insurance companies could discriminate freely against women by charging them more for health care, and he opposes abortion — even in cases of rape and incest.”
In interviews, Loe has expressed opposition to the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act, which curbs insurance company abuses against women, and on a candidate questionnaire filed with the Tennessee Eagle Forum, a close ally of the Tea Party, Loe indicated that he favored severe restrictions on abortions, even when the female victim was raped or attacked by a relative.
“In the 21st century, Loe’s backward mentality toward women is barbaric and out-of-step with voters,” Forrester said. “Women in Tennessee deserve a consistent, common sense leader in Nashville who will fight to expand access to health care and preventive care for women and their families. Gary Loe is not that leader; he’s a politician with extreme ideas that will endanger women and put their health care at risk.”
Loe’s extreme views on women’s health care echo the dangerous beliefs of many Republicans running for office in 2012:
–In Anderson County, state Rep. John Ragan said he would only allow abortions “in certain cases of violent rape or incest.” And politicians, presumably, would define “violent rape.”
–Missouri Republican Todd Akin, a congressman running for the U.S. Senate, falsely claimed in an interview women’s bodies possessed a mechanism to “shut down” rape pregnancies.
–This week, Indiana’s Republican U.S. nominee Richard Mourdock said in a debate that pregnancies resulting from rape are a “gift from God.”
“Loe’s extreme views are lockstep with Todd Akin and Richard Mourdock, the most out-of-touch candidates in his party,” Forrester said.
Background
Gary Loe Opposes Abortion — Even in Cases of Rape and Incest. On a candidate questionnaire, Loe indicated he opposed all abortions, except to save the life of the mother. [TNEagleForum.org or read the full questionnaire]
Gary Loe Stands with the Governor in Opposition to the Affordable Care Act. [Tennessee This Week, 10/7/12]
Todd Akin ‘Legitimate Rape’ comments still focus of Missouri Senate Race. The problems started after Akin was asked in a TV interview in late August about the odds of a woman becoming pregnant from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” he said. [Huffington Post, 10/25/12]
Mourdock Rape Comment Puts GOP on Defense. Indiana Senate candidate Richard Mourdock became the latest Republican to stir up controversy – and potential trouble for the Romney campaign – when he said during a debate that “even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something that God intended to happen.” [ABC News, 10/24/12]
