1,700+ Maryland Women: Our Freedoms Are On The Line, Larry Hogan Won’t Fight for Them

Women from across Maryland send open letter to Hogan calling out his refusal to fight for abortion rights

Letter comes on the heels of new reporting that Hogan “personally campaigned for” anti-abortion candidates, is bankrolled by Senate Republicans who oppose abortion rights

More than 1,700 women from across Maryland, including every county in the state, today sent an open letter blasting Republican Larry Hogan for refusing to eliminate the filibuster to support abortion rights. The letter comes on the heels of new reporting that Hogan “personally campaigned for” anti-abortion candidates who supported, and in some cases enacted, strict abortion bans. COURIER reported Thursday that Hogan personally helped elect numerous abortion-banning Republicans and is bankrolled by Senate Republicans who oppose abortion rights.

Read the letter for yourself:

“Larry Hogan’s recent attempts to rebrand as someone who will fight for women and has always fought for a woman’s reproductive freedoms continue to be undermined by his own words and actions. 

“The fate of our freedoms are on the line this November, and we need a Senator who will stop at nothing to defend them and that candidate is not Larry Hogan. He recently said he’s not sure there are ‘too many’ voters in Maryland who want to break the filibuster to protect abortion, and we’d like to make it clear that there are women in every corner of this state — from both Parties — who feel that way. 

“The filibuster has stood in the way of Democrats advancing critical legislation, like the Women’s Health Protection Act that would codify Roe. Yet Larry Hogan thinks he can convince women he’ll fight for them, while already telling us that he won’t support overturning one of the biggest roadblocks for protecting our reproductive freedoms.

“This sort of cynicism is why our politics are so broken. Larry Hogan is deeply unserious about standing up for our reproductive freedoms. He’s called it an ‘emotional’ issue for women. He’s said he won’t use every tool at his disposal to fight for our freedoms. And, most importantly, he knows he will never have to vote on abortion rights because his victory will guarantee a Republican majority in the Senate. They will never allow a vote to codify Roe to occur. 

“None of this surprises us. Larry Hogan won’t even take a stand against Donald Trump, who appointed the justices that ripped away our rights, by voting for Kamala Harris. Then again, when it comes to the Supreme Court and their decision to overturn Roe, Larry Hogan and Trump actually agree. In fact, just months after these Trump-appointed Justices overturned Roe, Larry said Donald Trump deserves credit for nominating these ‘incredibles justices.’

“It’s frankly insulting that Hogan recently said he would ‘not do anything to stand in the way of abortion’ when in 2022 as Governor, Larry Hogan did just that. Not only did he veto legislation to expand access to abortion in the state of Maryland, he withheld the funds that would have increased access to abortion after Democrats overrode his veto. What’s worse, is that he decided to withhold the funds even after it was leaked that the Supreme Court was overturning Roe. As women across the country were bracing for one of the most consequential Supreme Court rulings of their lifetime, Larry Hogan was falling in line with national republicans and doing his part to make access to abortion more difficult. Ahead of this ruling, and in the wake of the decision’s leak, our state should have been doing everything in our power to protect and expand access to reproductive freedom. 

“Women in Maryland deserve a strong leader who will do everything in their power to fight for our freedoms, like getting rid of the filibuster. For women in Maryland, and across the country, our lives are on the line. If Senate Republicans get a majority we know that a national abortion ban is a priority for Republicans. To Larry Hogan we say this, we will not be silent in the face of your hypocrisy and come election day we will make our voices heard when we send Angela Alsobrooks to the United States Senate.”

See also: COURIER: Hogan’s RGA Tenure and Senate GOP Backers Raise Questions About His Abortion Promises & Get the Facts on Republican Larry Hogan’s Real Anti-Abortion Rights Record 

###