This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Planned Parenthood Endorses Boysko

Planned Parenthood has endorsed Jennifer Boysko. Below is the text of their endorsement:

Boysko Confronts Rust at Debate on Wavering Women’s Health Support

In another exciting Virginia delegate race, recent polling has shown Democrat Jennifer Boysko within range of incumbent Del. Tom Rust (R-86), who has a 47-44 lead, a 16 point shift toward Boysko from earlier in the cycle. The 86th District went 60-39 for President Obama and is the most Democrat-leaning district held by a Republican in the Virginia House. Both Democracy for America, and recently, Daily Kos, have endorsed her and been raising money for her.

Find out what's happening in Chantillywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While Del. Rust has managed to sell himself as a moderate to his constituents, and he cast only pro-women’s health votes in 2012, he has some embarrassing votes in his past. In their only debate of the campaign last Monday at the Herndon Town Council, Boysko challenged Rust on these votes.

When asked about women’s health, Rust attempted to justify his past support for a personhood bill (HB 1440, 2010), mandatory ultrasounds (HB 1042, 2010), and the infamous TRAP law (SB 924, 2011), a “backdoor ban” that placed medically unnecessary and burdensome regulations on women’s health centers in order to shut them down. Rust didn’t sound like a moderate as he defended his TRAP vote, saying:

Find out what's happening in Chantillywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I did vote to increase the standards on abortion clinics for the safety of the women who go there, and as far as closing them, the bill doesn't even go into effect until July of '14, so we don't know the results of that yet."

He said this even though these pernicious regulations have nothing to do with protecting safety and everything to do with denying women critical medical care, including access to safe, legal abortion. He also conveniently ignored the well-documented effects that similar laws have had in other states, and the fact that two of Virginia's women's health centers have already closed due in part to these regulations -- and more will follow over the next 6 months.

Boysko responded, “For the record, I am pro-choice, I am very frustrated, it’s one of the reasons I decided to run for office because the chipping away of our women’s health issues is a detriment to all of us.”

Rust has also voted to defund Planned Parenthood (Budget Item 4-5.04 #2h amendment to HB 1600, 2009), and to ban abortion coverage from the health insurance exchange (HB 2434, 2011), and just last year for legislation that allowed adoption agencies to discriminate against gays and lesbians based on their religious beliefs. (HB 189, 2012)

In such a progressive district, the residents of the 86th can elect someone who will better represent their values, and that is Jennifer Boysko. If you live in the district, please get five friends to come out with you and vote for her, and for Mark Herring too! Everyone else, please forward this to your friends in northern Virginia, especially in Herndon, northern Chantilly, the eastern part of Sterling, Lees Corner, Chantilly Highlands, Oak Hill, and Sugarland to get the message out.

One More Day, One Day More!

 

Noah Mamber

Public and Legislative Affairs Manager

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington Action Fund
We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Chantilly