NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses John Yarmuth for Re-Election to Congress

WASHINGTON, June 8 -- NARAL Pro-Choice America issued the following news release:

NARAL Pro-Choice America today announced its endorsement of Kwame Raoul in his campaign for Attorney General of Illinois.

"Kwame Raoul has been a steadfast champion for Illinois women and families and we are proud to endorse him," said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "With the onslaught of attacks on women's health at the state level, we need allies who will fight back against the unjust attacks on our basic rights and serve as an advocate for the health and well-being of women and families in Illinois."

"As a lifelong champion of equal rights for women and the proud father of a young woman whose rights are of paramount importance to me, I am honored by the trust NARAL Pro-Choice America has put in me to protect and advocate for reproductive rights as the state's top law enforcement official," Raoul said. "With women's rights imperiled federally and in many state capitals, this is a pivotal time for Illinois' attorney general to stand strongly in support of choice."

During his 13 years in the Illinois Senate, Kwame Raoul was a strong ally for women, championing legislation that dealt with equal pay, choice, and harassment. Raoul cosponsored the groundbreaking bill, HB 40, which provides state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortion care, ultimately leveling the playing field for low-income women. Raoul was also supportive of the Illinois Contraceptive Coverage Act that requires all health insurance plans nationwide to cover birth-control pills and other contraceptives for women with no out-of-pocket costs. He was a co-sponsor of the Equal Wage Act that aimed to reduce the gender pay gap by stopping wage discrimination based on wage history.

Raoul is facing Republican Erika Harold in the general election. Harold's support of anti-choice measures and plans to implement dangerous programs in Illinois' schools should concern Illinois women and families. Raoul understands the importance of protecting reproductive rights and will make reproductive freedom a driving force of his agenda.

NARAL's political program for the 2018 general election is the organization's largest ever midterm political program to advance candidates fighting for "our values, our future, our vote." NARAL is investing in diverse candidates up and down the ballot in 19 states, mobilizing members and voters through mail, phones, digital ads, door to door canvassing, TV ads, and rallies that hold anti-choice candidates accountable and lift up pro-choice champions. To read more about NARAL's endorsed candidates, click here (https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/elections/endorsements/).

The document was originally issued on June 5, but posted on June 8.