CHICAGO - Democrat 2016 candidate for U.S. Senate Tammy Duckworth and GOP incumbent U.S. Senator Mark Kirk agree on at least one topic: they both have publicly declared their support for Planned Parenthood and their intentions to oppose any effort to defund the scandal-ridden, federally-funded agency.
Duckworth, a new, first time mother herself, said via Twitter that she "proudly" supports Planned Parenthood, and Wednesday, Mark Kirk told The Hill he would not be one of the badly-needed Republican votes in the U.S. Senate to stop taxpayer funding for the abortion-providing clinics.
“In other states tissue donation programs should be investigated but in Illinois there is no similar program,” Kirk said in a statement to The Hill. “I do not plan to cut access to basic health care and contraception for women, the majority of whom have no other resources.”
However, in the first video transcript, the Planned Parenthood official suggested body part buyers check with Stroger Hospital in Cook County.
But as of Thursday afternoon, Kirk has not gone as far as Tammy Duckworth in using the information released on undercover videos of Planned Parenthood officials to raise funds for her upcoming campaign.
Thursday, the Duckworth campaign jumped into the fray with these words:
This week, Republican Senators have been pushing for a bogus investigation and potential vote to defund Planned Parenthood.
It's the latest of many attempts to meddle in women's personal health decisions and smear an organization that provides lifesaving care to millions of women.
This is a prime example of why we need more women serving in the Senate who won't hesitate to defend women's rights and access to essential health care.
Contribute to Tammy's campaign before the end of the month to send a champion for women to the U.S. Senate.
The email goes on to list what issues Duckworth has promoted and intends to pursue as U.S. Senator from Illinois. Ironically, they're focused on women that chose not to abort their babies:
While in Congress, she has introduced legislation to expand maternity leave for military women, provide space for traveling moms to breastfeed and pump at airports, and protect women from losing their jobs for using fertility treatments.
More HERE.
