DSCC: 5 Days Later: Terri Lynn Land Still Refusing to Condemn Disgusting Attack on Gary Peters & His Daughters

WASHINGTON, March 24 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following news release:

Terri Lynn Land has had nearly a week to end her silence but has failed to condemn an attack from one of her strongest supporters, Michigan Right to Life, who charged last week that Gary Peters "wants to make sure abortion is accessible and cheap for his daughters."

Land has also refused to end her tacit support (http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/terri-lynn-land-gary-peters-michigan-insurance) of Michigan's "rape insurance (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/13/michigans-abortion-rider-_n_4958517.html)" law that went into effect this month as a result of Michigan Right to Life's ballot initiative, which prevents both public and private insurance companies from covering abortion in Michigan even in the case of rape, incest, or medical necessity, unless a separate "abortion rider" policy is first purchased.

In a Friday interview on MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/michigan-rape-insurance-law-cuts-critical-healthcare-202715203593) , Gary Peters called the attack from Michigan Right to Life "offensive" and slammed Land's continued silence on "rape insurance," stating that "she knows she's on the wrong side of the issue and she's hiding from it."

GARY PETERS: This is absolutely outrageous to make a statement that I am somehow seeking cheap abortions for my teenage daughters is incredibly offense, and it's offensive to women as well all across the state in the fact that they're cutting critical health care away from women And to think that women are looking for cheap abortions as opposed to health care necessary in a very, very difficult time for them is absolutely unacceptable and certainly needs to be condemned and that's what I will do and will continue to do and I would ask the folks of Right to Life, quit making these kinds of outrageous comments about my teenage daughters, this is about women in the state of Michigan having access to affordable health care at a very critical time in their life.

CHRIS HAYES: Do you know where your Republican opponent is on this piece of legislation?

PETERS: She is silent, she's basically in a bunker, she refuses to make any public comments because she knows this is a terrible issue that a majority of women as well as men think it is outrageous that you're forcing women to buy an abortion rider and plan for a rape or an incest or a pregnancy that goes bad when you just expect health insurance to be there. She knows she's on the wrong side of the issue and she's hiding from it.

"Terri Lynn Land's continued silence on a disgusting attack on Gary Peters' teenage daughters is offensive to women across Michigan and Land owes everyone an explanation," said Regan Page, a spokeswoman at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "Land's refusal to condemn one of her strongest supporters for attacking two teenage girls mirrors her tacit for a law that forces women to purchase rape insurance simply so they can make their own healthcare decisions. It's time for Terri Lynn Land do the right thing and condemn the disgusting political attack on teenage girls and explain her tacit support for Michigan's 'rape insurance' law."

Land is already on the record supporting a ban on abortion that includes no exceptions (http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/michigan-senate-race-2014-on-the-ground-103704.html) for rape or incest. Land's RNC platform also included additional measures that are dangerous for women and would roll back women's health care rights such as the "Akin Plank" and support for mandatory ultrasound laws.

BACKGROUND:

Land Claimed She Opposed a Woman's Right to Choose Even in Cases of Rape or Incest. "[Land] also said the 'only exception' she supported for abortion was to save the life of the mother, not mentioning rape or incest." [Politico, 2/20/14 (http://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/michigan-senate-race-2014-on-the-ground-103704_Page2.html)]

Land: I've Been Backed by Right to Life. "Interacting with over 10 million folks as Secretary of State, working with many people who are in this race today, and so I know how to campaign. I am committed to that campaign and I know it's going to be a lot of work. I'm also someone who has always received the support of the NRA and the Right to Life and that's something I thought was very important also and people told me that I was that candidate." [Land remarks at Grand Traverse Legislative Breakfast, 7/6/13] (Video)

Land Said She Supported The 2012 Republican Platform. "Land said she supports the platform but did not vote for it at the convention in 2012. Her term as committeewoman began after the RNC convention." [Michigan Live, 6/3/13 (http://www.mlive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/terri_lynn_land.html)]

Which Proposed Banning Abortions Even in Cases of Rape, Incest Or to Save a Woman's Life. In August 2012, Bloomberg reported that the 2012 Republican platform "also proposes a constitutional amendment to ban abortion without stipulating any exceptions for ending pregnancies caused by rape or to save a woman's life." [Bloomberg, 8/28/12 (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-28/republicans-call-for-medicare-tsa-overhauls-in-platform-1-.html)]

And the "Akin Plank." The 2012 GOP platform states: "Faithful to the 'self-evident' truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children." [2012 GOP Platform (http://www.gop.com/2012-republican-platform_we/); Politico, 8/21/12 (http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=59F6B61F-4F96-458D-9611-2952E92D1A1A)]

Which Praised Mandatory Ultrasound Laws. "The GOP officially praises states' 'informed consent' laws that force women to undergo unnecessary procedures, require waiting periods and endure other measures meant to discourage them from getting an abortion. One such law receiving a "salute" was crafted by committee head McDonnell, who passed a notorious mandatory ultrasound requirement after he signed an unsuccessful bill to require an even more invasive transvaginal probe ultrasound during an abortion consultation." [ThinkProgress, 8/22/12 (http://thinkprogress.org/election/2012/08/22/723241/gop-approves-most-conservative-platform-in-modern-history/)]

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