Planned Parenthood shells out $5M for North Carolina midterm races

On Thursday, Planned Parenthood announced its plan to invest $5 million in the North Carolina midterm elections to back pro-abortion Democrat nominees.

Planned Parenthood Votes and Planned Parenthood Action PAC North Carolina aim to use the funds for ads, mailings, phone banks, and canvassing in 14 legislative swing districts.

Deputy director of Planned Parenthood Action PAC North Carolina Emily Thompson stressed that the organization's goal is to prevent a Republican supermajority in the general assembly. She said that the campaign is focusing recourses on five Senate races.

"If we don't elect reproductive rights champions in five key state Senate races, an anti-abortion supermajority will have the votes to ban abortion in North Carolina," Thompson stated. "And if we don't defend two critical North Carolina Supreme Court seats, we will lose our last line of defense against restrictive state laws designed to rob us of our right to make our own health care decisions."

The organization also plans on funneling funds into the state's U.S. Senate contest and two state Supreme Court races.

In August, the organization announced it would pour $50 million into the upcoming U.S. midterm elections to secure abortion access in battleground states.

The investment in the North Carolina races is just the latest component in Planned Parenthood's broader campaign effort. According to the Associated Press, the national campaign is the largest-ever electoral program in history.

In the North Carolina races, the organization hopes to preserve the governor's veto power, which would allow him to block potential abortion restrictions. Republicans are five seats away from holding a supermajority in the general assembly.

Election Day is several weeks away, but the state's absentee voting has already begun.

On August 17, U.S. District Judge William Osteen Jr. reinstated North Carolina's 20-week abortion ban. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, a pro-abortion advocate, criticized the decision and stated he disagreed with the ruling.

"Abortion past 20 weeks in pregnancy is exceptionally rare and happens because of a devastating health emergency or diagnosis," said Cooper. "Denying women necessary medical care in extreme and threatening situations, even if rare, is fundamentally wrong, and we cannot let politicians mislead people about the real world implications of this harmful law."