This abortion rights group is fighting back in a tough environment

Emily’s List has two goals: keep congressional Democratic majorities and elect state abortion rights-supporters

Fundraising powerhouse Emilys List is gearing up to support Democratic women up and down the ballot during one of the most pivotal election cycles for abortion access.

Democrats are expected to face a rough election year. And the moment is even more fraught for abortion rights supporters as the Supreme Court appears likely to undermine Roe v. Wades nearly half-century-old protections. Such a decision would trigger a wave of Republican states curtailing the procedure. 

• That potentially seismic shift in abortion access has left both sides working to frame the other as out of touch with what the broad swath of voters wants.

The Health 202 talked to Laphonza Butler, the president of Emilys List, which has helped elect hundreds of women who support abortion rights. We discussed Novembers midterm elections, how abortion politics could play into the races and how the group decides who to endorse.

When it comes to the midterms, Butler described two primary focuses: Maintaining Democratic majorities in Congress, while electing abortion rights supporters in state-level positions, such as governors and attorneys general.

• We feel like this is surely a cycle that is going to be competitive for Democrats, said Butler, who took the helm of the organization in September. Emily’s List is going to be ready to engage to ensure victory all over the country and up and down the ballot.

Butler declined to discuss the organizations budget for the 2022 election cycle and its specific strategy. Over the organizations 37-year history, it has raised more than $700 million to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights. And in the last election cycle, Emilys List spent a record of nearly $50 million in independent expenditures, almost half of which went to supporting women of color, according to the groups website. 

• Meanwhile, one prominent antiabortion group has keyed in on a slate of battleground states. Susan B. Anthony Lists overall budget is $72 million for the 2021-2022 cycle, which is nearly $20 million more than last cycle.

So far, Emilys List has endorsed more than 50 candidates. The list includes senators, such as incumbents Patty Murray (Wash.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.); House candidates such as Jessica Cisneros (Texas) and Heather Mizeur (Md.); and gubernatorial contenders such as Stacey Abrams (Ga.) and Nan Whaley (Ohio).

Endorsements from Emilys Lists are coveted. But how does the group decide who to throw its muscle behind, particularly if there are two women in the race who both support abortion rights?

• The group takes a look at the strength of the campaigns and the coalitions each is building, Butler said. She added: Sometimes it requires hard decisions.

The Supreme Court seems inclined to uphold a Mississippi law barring most abortions after 15 weeks. A decision is expected this summer, just a few months before the midterms. 

Could a decision from the high court change Emilys List message to voters? We have consistently been talking about the threat of the undermining of Roe or even the eventual overturning of Roe so I don’t think there is a change that you will see from us on the horizon, Butler said.

• In the interim we are going to continue to engage and amplify the real threat that is being posed by the court.
• Meanwhile, SBA List believes a ruling for Mississippi would be the culmination of decades of work, and the group now wants Congress to enact a 15-week ban on abortion.

At the federal level, Democrats didnt succeed in their efforts to circumvent such a Supreme Court decision. 

• Last year, the House passed the Womens Health Protection Act, which would have codified Roe v. Wade. 
• But late last month, the Senate failed to advance the measure, since it needed at least 10 Republican votes. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) was the only Democrat to oppose the measure.
• Meanwhile, the Senate blocked a 20-week abortion ban when Republicans controlled the chamber back in 2018, highlighting how tall an order passing abortion measures can be.

U.N. groups urge attacks on Ukraine’s health-care facilities to stop

Leaders of UNICEF, the U.N. Population Fund and the World Health Organization called for an immediate cessation of all attacks on health care in Ukraine, in a joint statement issued Sunday. 

Since the start of the Russian invasion:

• At least 24 health-care facilities and five ambulances have been damaged or destroyed, which have led to at least 12 deaths and 34 injuries, according to the WHOs Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care.
• The health care system in Ukraine is clearly under significant strain, and its collapse would be a catastrophe. International humanitarian and human rights law must be upheld, the statement said.
• A pregnant woman and her baby died after the attack at a maternity hospital, the Associated Press reported today. A photo of her being rushed to an ambulance had circled the world after last week’s attack, encapsulating the toll Russia’s invasion has had on civilians.

• In the next three months, 80,000 Ukrainian women are expected to give birth, according to the statement, as oxygen and medical supplies including those for pregnancy complications run dangerously low.
• The global health leaders also reiterated calls for safe corridors to both provide relief personnel access to civilians displaced throughout the country and aid the transportation of lifesaving medical equipment, drugs and vaccines over the border as Ukraines health-care system buckles under the weight of the attacks.

Catherine Russell, executive director of UNICEF: 

Pfizer eyes a second booster shot for healthy individuals

The companys chief executive, Albert Bourla, said a fourth shot of its coronavirus vaccine would be necessary, as the third dose wanes in protection. 

Key Context: A fourth dose is already recommended for some immunocompromised individuals, but the Food and Drug Administration hasnt greenlit another shot for the general population. 

• But Bourla said on CBS Face the Nation that the company is close to submitting data to the FDA about the need for a second booster.
• Staying ahead of the virus: What we are trying to do is to make not only a vaccine that will protect against all variants, including omicron, but also something that can protect for at least a year, Bourla said. Then, the CEO said, individuals could receive a booster dose annually, similar to a flu shot.