¶ Reproductive Rights
¶ Post-Roe Leak
¶ Laxalt Supported The Supreme Court Draft Opinion TO Overturn ROe
Laxalt Praised The Supreme Court’s Leaked Ruling Which Favored The Overturning Of Roe v. Wade As A “Historic Victory.” According to Press release from Adam Laxalt, “Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt released the following statement in response to news of a leaked draft of a decision out of the United States Supreme Court: ‘If the leaked draft reflects the Supreme Court’s ultimate decision, it would constitute an historic victory for the sanctity of life and the principles of democratic self-determination. The Supreme Court has never had the expertise nor the authority to unilaterally legislate on abortion. After more than 50 years, that responsibility is poised to finally return to its rightful owners: the American people and their elected representatives.’” [Press release from Adam Laxalt, 5/3/22]
Laxalt Condemned The Leak Of The Opinion And Blamed Democrats For Trying To Intimidate And Undermine The Supreme Court, Laxalt Called For The Leaker To Be Punished To The Fullest Extent Possible. According to Press release from Adam Laxalt, “‘The sinister act of leaking a highly confidential Supreme Court draft decision is the culmination of Left’s multi-year effort to intimidate and undermine the highest Court in the land and our American institutions. The individual(s) responsible for this unprecedented and unforgivable attack on America’s judiciary must be punished to the fullest possible extent. ‘The people of Nevada have already voted to make abortion rights legal in our state, and so no matter the Court’s ultimate decision on Roe, it is currently settled law in our state.’” [Press release from Adam Laxalt, 5/3/22]
While Celebrating The Potential Of Overturning Of Roe, Laxalt Acknowledged That Nevada’s Abortion Rights Would Remain Protected Under A 1990 Referendum. According to Press release from Adam Laxalt, “Nevada Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt released the following statement in response to news of a leaked draft of a decision out of the United States Supreme Court: ‘If the leaked draft reflects the Supreme Court’s ultimate decision, it would constitute an historic victory for the sanctity of life and the principles of democratic self-determination. […] ‘The people of Nevada have already voted to make abortion rights legal in our state, and so no matter the Court’s ultimate decision on Roe, it is currently settled law in our state.’” [Press release from Adam Laxalt, 5/3/22]
- [VIDEO] 2018: Laxalt Promised To “Have That Debate” On Abortion And When Asked If He Was Planning To Propose A Referendum To Overturn Question 7, Laxalt Said “We Are Going To Look Into It.” According to KOLOTV, “But in the past five months, Nevada’s Attorney General has filed friend-of-the-court briefs, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a California law requiring crisis pregnancy centers to inform women of their options. In March, another AMICUS brief was filed to an appeals court, asking it to uphold a Texas law outlawing 2nd trimester abortions. ‘We pay him to do the work of our state,’ says Hawkins. ‘You know I’m going to err on the side of life,’ says Adam Laxalt. We talked to Attorney General Laxalt after winning his party’s nomination for Nevada governor about his legal filings on behalf of Nevadans. Does Nevada have a dog in that fight does it? ‘We are going to have many months to talk about this. The bottom line is my opponents have been very clear in the last many months they are incredibly extreme on abortion. We are going to have plenty of time to have that debate,’ says Laxalt. But you can’t change it without a vote of the people. ‘We are happy to talk about that in the coming months,’ replied Laxalt. ‘Are you planning on doing that as governor? Would you propose a referendum for voters to vote on that? Because that is how it has to change in Nevada.’ ‘We are going to look into it,’ says Laxalt.” [KOLOTV, 6/13/18]
Laxalt Said “There’s No Question That Roe V. Wade Was Always Wrongly Decided” And That “This Needs To Go To The States.” According to News3LV, “‘Look, there's no question that Roe v. Wade was always wrongly decided. We've known that for a generation that this took it out of the states and took it out of the democratic process,’ Laxalt told news 3 on Friday. ‘And so for it to be returned to the states is an important process. As you well know, there's been a referendum passed by the people that has put in place a right to abortion.’ Laxalt then sidestepped and criticized his likely Democratic Senate opponent on a host of issues. He said Democrats want the election to focus on pro-choice and abortion politics, but stressed voters have other concerns. Still, News 3 pressed Laxalt to directly answer the question, which he did. The question posed was whether or not he would leave the decision to legalize or outlaw abortion up to the states, or if he’d attempt to join a national ban if elected to the Senate. ‘I think this needs to go to the states and as I said, Nevada is obviously decided in their referendum,’ Laxalt said.” [News3LV, 5/17/22]
When Asked, Laxalt Said He Would Support A Referendum Sending Voters A 13-Week Abortion Ban. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, “This data and the need for voter approval gives Republican candidates, especially for governor, an obvious path forward. Propose sending voters a 13-week abortion ban with exceptions for physical health, rape and incest. The Legislature could pass and the governor could sign a 13-week ban that goes into effect only if voters support it. When asked, Laxalt and Lombardo said they would support this. Gubernatorial candidates Dean Heller and John Lee said they would as well. ‘This position is much more in line with the vast majority of Nevadans, in contrast to Senator Masto’s vote to make aborting babies legal all the way up to live birth,’ Laxalt said. He added, ‘Her vote is the most barbaric vote any elected representative of Nevada has ever cast.’” [Las Vegas Review Journal, 5/14/22]
¶ Laxalt Praised The Supreme Court Overturning Roe v. Wade
Laxalt Said Overturning Roe Was A “Historic Victory For The Sanctity Of Life And The Principles Of Democratic Self-Determination.” According to 8NewsNow, “Laxalt described Friday’s decision as a ‘historic victory for the sanctity of life and the principles of democratic self-determination.’ Laxalt was one of the first Republicans in the state to comment when a draft of the decision was leaked two months ago, and he was again among the first voice among Nevada Republicans on Friday. ‘The Supreme Court has never had the expertise nor the authority to unilaterally legislate on abortion. After more than 50 years, that responsibility is poised to finally return to its rightful owners: the American people and their elected representatives,’ Laxalt said. ‘The people of Nevada have already voted to make abortion rights legal in our state and the Court’s decision on Roe doesn’t change settled law and it won’t distract voters from unaffordable prices, rising crime or the border crisis.’” [8NewsNow, 6/24/22]
Laxalt Praised The Overturning Of Roe But Acknowledged Nevada’s Law That Protected Abortion Access. According to Reno Gazette Journal, “Yet, despite our differences, my views have not shifted the policy in Nevada, nor has the ruling in the Dobbs case. Voters in 1990 determined that Nevada is and will remain a pro-choice state. The Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs did not change Nevada law in this regard, as Senator Cortez Masto repeatedly has acknowledged. […] In its recent Dobbs decision, the Supreme Court embraced this view, and returned the issue of abortion to the people. The people of each state will now decide what laws they want. As mentioned, in Nevada, the people have already had their say. A journalist recently asked me if I would support a referendum limiting abortion to the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, essentially, the first trimester. I said that I would, and I stand by that view. I also believe that most Nevadans agree with that position.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/2/22]
¶ Following The Supreme Court's Decision To Overturn Roe, Laxalt Called Roe A "Joke" And Said He Would Work TO CHange Nevada's Pro-Choice Protections
Laxalt Said The 1973 Roe V. Wade Decision Was A Joke, “Roe V. Wade Was Always A Joke. It Was A Total, Complete Invention.” According to Nevada Independent, “Earlier this month, Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Attorney General Adam Laxalt called the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision ‘a joke’ and said it’s ‘sad’ that Nevada is not anti-abortion. Laxalt made the comments during a June 6 pancake breakfast with pastors and faith leaders in Reno, and audio from that event was obtained by The Nevada Independent. It marks some of the bluntest language used by Laxalt on the subject of abortion this election cycle. ‘Roe v. Wade was always a joke. It was a total, complete invention,’ Laxalt said. ‘It has created decades and decades of political turmoil. Not to mention, the most important thing that it allowed across the country. So, I think its return back to the states is important.’” [Nevada Independent, 6/30/22]
Laxalt Said It Was “Sad” That Nevada Was Not Anti-Abortion, “We’re Not A Pro-life State. We All Have To Be Honest About That. It’s Sad, It Doesn’t Make Me Happy.” According to Nevada Independent, “After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Laxalt released a statement celebrating the ‘historic victory for the sanctity of life’ and said the Supreme Court ‘never had the expertise nor the authority to unilaterally legislate on abortion.’ The statement also noted that abortion rights are ‘settled law’ in Nevada. But in his comments to faith leaders in Reno, Laxalt noted recent polling showing a solid majority of Nevadans describe themselves as ‘pro-choice,’ and said there is work to do around the issue. ‘We’re not a pro-life state. We all have to be honest about that. It’s sad, it doesn’t make me happy,’ Laxalt told the assembled faith leaders. ‘But we are not a pro-life state and we got work to do on that.’” [Nevada Independent, 6/30/22]
Laxalt Said That He Would Work To Make Nevada An Anti-Choice State. According to Nevada Independent, “But in his comments to faith leaders in Reno, Laxalt noted recent polling showing a solid majority of Nevadans describe themselves as ‘pro-choice,’ and said there is work to do around the issue. ‘We’re not a pro-life state. We all have to be honest about that. It’s sad, it doesn’t make me happy,’ Laxalt told the assembled faith leaders. ‘But we are not a pro-life state and we got work to do on that.’” [Nevada Independent, 6/30/22]
¶ Laxalt Tried To Defend His Claim Calling Roe A “Joke”
Laxalt Tried To Defend Himself After A Clip Of Him Calling Roe A “Joke” Leaked, Laxalt Claimed It Was “A Shorthand Way Of Saying” That Roe Was Unconstitutional. According to Reno Gazette Journal, “I also was recently quoted as saying from the perspective of constitutional law, Roe v. Wade was ‘a joke.’ That was a shorthand way of saying that the decision had no basis in the text of the constitution and that taking the power to decide the issue away from the people was absurd. The Supreme Court has now remedied that historic error.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/2/22]
¶ Laxalt Refused To Speak Publicly About His Thoughts On A Post-Roe World
Laxalt Did Not Respond To Questioning Regarding His Support For A Federal Abortion Ban. According to Las Vegas Review-Journal, “But Cortez Masto framed her re-election bid against Republican Adam Laxalt as what could decide whether abortion is banned on a federal level. Laxalt, the former state attorney general, celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and previously said he would support additional abortion restrictions in Nevada. ‘There is no question in my mind that my opponent, Adam Laxalt, would support a federal abortion ban that eliminates access to reproductive care nationwide,’ Cortez Masto said. ‘He is out of line with a majority of Nevadans in this state.’ The Laxalt campaign did not respond to a request for comment.” [Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/1/22]
CNN: Laxalt Had Adopted The GOP Strategy To Avoid Discussions On Abortions Unless Specifically Asked Following The Overturning Of Roe. According to CNN, “And in Nevada, Republican Senate hopeful Adam Laxalt recently accused the Democratic incumbent of focusing too much on abortion. […] Frankly, I don’t want to hear about abortion until you’ve made it to Washington,’ the adviser recalled telling his client after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. A majority of Americans in multiple polls have disapproved of the Supreme Court’s overturning of the landmark 1973 ruling, including two-thirds of women in a CBS News/YouGov poll conducted in the immediate wake of the decision. ‘There is a fearfulness some Republicans are having on this issue. They are very well poised for a big November because of [President Joe] Biden’s unpopularity and inflation, so they don’t want to take their eyes off the ball,’ said longtime Republican strategist Doug Heye. CNN has reached out to Laxalt, Johnson and Mastriano’s campaigns.” [CNN, 7/14/22]
Laxalt’s Campaign Did Not Respond To Inquiries About Cortez Masto’s Bill That Would Protect Patients Traveling For Abortion Services. According to Nevada Current, “Senate Republicans blocked U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s bill that would protect patients in states where abortion is banned who seek to travel out of state to access services. Cortez Masto, along with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, recently introduced the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act of 2022 as Republican-led state legislatures ramped up efforts to restrict pregnant people from seeking abortion services in other states. […] Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Laxalt, who is running against Cortez Masto, has previously called Roe v Wade ‘a joke’ and said ‘I think its return back to the states is important,’ according to The Nevada Independent. Nevada Current reached out to Laxalt’s campaign for comment on Cortez Masto’s legislation and to ask him to provide his views on states restricting patients from traveling to seek abortion services. His campaign didn’t respond to requests for comment. “ [Nevada Current, 7/14/22]
Laxalt Ran Away From A Reporter Asking Questions About His Stance On A National Abortion Ban. According to Twitter, @lawindsor, “GOP Senate candidate from Nevada Adam Laxalt recently said he would not vote for a national abortion ban. But when we asked him about it, he refused to answer and ran away. We followed. Listen to the encounter here:” [Twitter, @lawindsor, 8/22/22]
¶ Laxalt Said He Did Not Support A National Abortion Ban But Supported Limited ABortion Access
Laxalt Said He Supported A 13 Week Limit On Abortions And Claimed That Most Nevadan’s Agreed With Him. According to Reno Gazette Journal, “A journalist recently asked me if I would support a referendum limiting abortion to the first 13 weeks of pregnancy, essentially, the first trimester. I said that I would, and I stand by that view. I also believe that most Nevadans agree with that position.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/2/22]
Laxalt Attacked Cortez Masto’s Record On Protection Access To Abortions, He Claimed She Supported Barbaric And Radical Infanticide Policies. According to Reno Gazette Journal, “Ironically, however, it is Cortez Masto who has spent her time in office trying to shift the policy on abortion. How? She has consistently voted to allow the barbaric procedure of late-term abortion, up to the point of live birth, even forcing you, the taxpayer, to fund this infanticide. That is a radical policy change from what currently exists in Nevada — which is the ability to have a legal abortion procedure up through six months of pregnancy. This unconscionable position of killing a full-term baby is indefensible, so naturally, Cortez Masto and her allies are spending millions of dollars in campaign ads trying to deflect from it and make you believe in a falsehood that I would support a federal ban on abortion as a U.S. senator, or that I am somehow ‘anti-woman’ because I value, support and defend life at all stages. Much of my life has informed that view, including, among other things, being born to a young single mother who chose not to abort me, being a father of four, and my Christian faith. For my entire adult life, I have held the view that the Supreme Court should return the issue of abortion to the people and let them decide the issue on a state-by-state basis.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/2/22]
Laxalt Said It Was A Falsehood That He Would Support A Federal Ban On Abortion Or Access To Contraception. According to Reno Gazette Journal, “From this, my opponent has manufactured a litany of absurdities, falsely claiming that I am in favor of a national abortion ban. That would of course contradict what I have argued for my entire adult life and what the Supreme Court just ordered — to return the issue to the people. That means the only people who can alter Nevada’s abortion policies are the voters of Nevada. But the falsehoods have not stopped there. My opponent falsely claims that I am in favor of banning contraception, as if defending a Catholic charity’s religious liberty is the same as banning contraception or condoms in stores. What an insult to the intellect of Nevada voters.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/2/22]
Laxalt Refused To Comment If He Supported Graham’s Federal Abortion Ban. According to Las Vegas Sun, “Adam Laxalt, the Republican nominee running against Cortez Masto, had said previously he would support a referendum limiting abortion to the first 13 weeks, according to an Aug. 2 op-ed of his published in the Reno Gazette Journal. In that op-ed, Laxalt wrote that he agreed with the June ruling by the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade and said he believed abortion regulation should be left to state lawmakers. Laxalt campaign spokesman Brian Freimuth would not say whether Laxalt, if elected, would vote for Graham’s 15-week ban. Instead, Freimuth deferred to Laxalt’s op-ed. ‘This proposal has no chance to pass Congress and receive President (Joe) Biden’s signature,’ Freimuth said. ‘The law in Nevada was settled by voters decades ago and isn’t going to change. As a pro-life candidate, Adam made his views clear in a recent Reno Gazette Journal column.’” [Las Vegas Sun, 9/15/22]
Laxalt Claimed To Not Support Graham’s 15 Week Federal Abortion Ban. According to Fox News, “Many Republicans running in this year’s midterm elections do not support Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., proposed bill that would limit abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy – or after ‘the stage at which substantial medical evidence indicates that they are capable of feeling pain.’ […] Brian Freimuth, spokesperson for the campaign of Nevada GOP Senate nominee Adam Laxalt, told Fox News Digital that he does not support a federal law. ‘This proposal has no chance to pass Congress and receive President Biden’s signature,’ Freimuth said. ‘The law in Nevada was settled by voters decades ago and isn’t going to change. As a pro-life candidate, Adam made his views clear in a recent Reno Gazette Journal column,’ where he described how he believes the right to an abortion in Nevada should be decided by Nevada voters, not the federal government. Laxalt has also stressed the views of his midterm opponent, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., who supported the Women’s Health Protection Act that would allow abortions ‘without limitations’ and after fetal viability. “ [Fox News, 9/15/22]
¶ Access To Abortion Stood As One Of The Main Voting Issues Ahead Of The 2022 Election
As Cortez Masto Amplified The Threat Laxalt Posed To Abortion Access, Laxalt Leaned Into Campaigning On High Gas Prices And Energy Policy. According to Washington Post, “Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto framed herself as a bulwark against a national abortion ban, gathering sympathetic Republican women in a friend’s backyard here to warn that her opponent could cast the decisive vote. […] GOP strategists said they are not worried, however. Speaking the next day in Las Vegas, Republican Senate nominee Adam Laxalt sent the same message Republicans have been hammering nationally: Gas prices are soaring, he said, and the party in power is responsible. ‘We need someone that will actually stand up for Nevada when the Biden administration takes us away from energy independence, gives us all-time high gas, all these things we’re dealing with every single day,’ said Laxalt, a former state attorney general who lost a bid for governor four years ago.” [Washington Post, 7/25/22]
Life-Time Republican Lobbyist Susan Fisher Said She Would Support Cortez Masto Because She Found Laxalt’s Position On Roe V. Wade “Very Offensive.” According to KSNV, “Other GOP endorsements for the Democrat senator include the former Winnemucca Mayor Di An Putnam and former Churchill County Commissioner Carl Erquiaga as well as open support from lobbyist Susan Fisher. Fisher said she’s been a registered Republican since she turned 18. She used to vote straight party line, but admitted she voted for neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden in 2020. Once the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, the abortion debate turned into a tipping point for her to speak out. ‘[Laxalt’s] position on choice is important to me. For someone who wants to be an elected official, to make a statement that he thought that Roe v. Wade was a joke, I find very offensive,’ said Fisher. If any Republicans were to call her a RINO (Republican In Name Only), she said she’d wear it proudly.” [KSNV, 8/4/22]
The Nevada Independent And OH Predictive Insights Poll Found Nevadan’s Ranked Abortion As Its Top Voting Issues Behind The Economy For The 2022 Election. According to Nevada Independent, “Abortion laws are one of the top factors driving voters to the polls, and there’s broad support for making major structural changes to the U.S. Supreme Court, a recent poll from The Nevada Independent and OH Predictive Insights indicates. […] Nearly 17 percent of respondents indicated that abortion laws were the issue most motivating them to vote, coming in second to the economy (40 percent) but ahead of other issues such as education (4 percent), gun laws (7 percent) and tax laws (2 percent). About 92 percent of respondents said they see at least some circumstances where abortion should be legal, with only 8 percent indicating it should be illegal in all circumstances. […] U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) has made protecting abortion rights a core tenet of her re-election campaign. In contrast, her Republican challenger, former Attorney General Adam Laxalt, has downplayed the issue’s campaign significance, instead calling attention to rising gas prices and economic problems. Laxalt has not responded to specific questions about his stance on abortion rights but has called the Roe v. Wade decision ‘a joke’ while bemoaning Nevada’s abortion protections.” [Nevada Independent, 8/4/22]
Reno Gazette Journal Op-Ed By Adam Laxalt: “Setting The Record Straight.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/2/22]
- Reno Gazette Journal Op- Ed By Toby Frescholtz, MD; Sarah Lee, Esq.; Jennifer Mortensen, Ph.D.; Jennifer Pearson, MPH, Ph.D. and Denise Rubinfeld, APRN. “Laxalt’s Column Inaccurate, Inflammatory.” According to Reno Gazette Journal, “Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Adam Laxalt published an opinion piece in this newspaper filled with disinformation and inflammatory statements intended to mislead the public. Laxalt falsely claimed that Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto voted to allow ‘infanticide,’ which is, of course, already illegal. Laxalt chose this term, used by anti-choice activists and politicians, to falsely describe abortion later in pregnancy or post-birth palliative care. His statements were written to cause alarm, are medically inaccurate and quite simply untrue. […] The term ‘infanticide’ is intended to evoke disturbing and violent imagery, is not a medical or clinical term, and is a cruel assault upon American families who find themselves in these difficult circumstances. The majority of Americans believe abortion should be safe and legal. The people of Nevada, as Laxalt points out, support this right. Laxalt’s apparent attempt to misinform the public with inflammatory language (and blatant medical misinformation) demonstrates that he does not deserve your vote.” [Reno Gazette Journal, 8/15/22]
Wall Street Journal: “Nevada Senate Race Emerges As Test Of Abortion Issue After Roe v. Wade Overturned.” [Wall Street Journal, 8/20/22]
40% Of Nevadans Said Their Views On Abortion Would Have A Strong Impact On Their Choice Of Candidate In The General Election. According to Fox News, “While only 13% of likely voters in Nevada believe abortion is the leading issue this year, 40% said that their view on abortion will have a strong impact on which candidate they vote for in November. Abortion has become a rising midterm issue, after the Supreme Court ruled in June to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision and gave the power back to the states to decide restrictions on abortion.” [Fox News, 8/22/22]
Mi Familia Vota and UnidosUS Survey: 81% Of Nevadans Believed Abortions Should Be Legal Despite Personal Beliefs. According to Nevada Independent, “A new poll shows a wide majority of Latino voters in Nevada believe that abortion should be legal even if it goes against their personal beliefs on the issue. The survey, conducted from July 20 to Aug. 1 by Mi Familia Vota and UnidosUS, found that 81 percent of those surveyed opposed taking the choice of abortion away from others. The same poll found that only 25 percent believed religious leaders should tell their members which candidates and policies to vote for, and the rest opposed that practice. ‘Latinos have historically not viewed political questions through a religious lens, which makes our next finding a little bit more understandable,’ pollster Gary Segura, president and co-founder of BSP Research, said during a call with reporters on Thursday.” [Nevada Independent, 8/30/22]
Laxalt Attack Cortez Masto’s Endorsements From Battle Born Progress & NARAL, He Demanded She Reject The Endorsements And Called Both Groups Radical. Laxalt tweeted, “My opponent @CortezMasto still hasn’t rejected her endorsements from radical ‘Defund the Police’ groups like Battle Born Progress & NARAL. While I’ve always been committed to supporting our law enforcement & making sure our communities are safe… This is who she stands with” [Twitter, @AdamLaxalt, 8/30/22]
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Released An Attack Ad, Titled ‘Historic,’ Against Laxalt, Highlighting His Opposition And Threat To Abortion Care. According to The Hill, “Senate Democrats’ campaign arm on Tuesday released its first general election television ad targeting Adam Laxalt in Nevada, slamming the Republican Senate nominee for his abortion stance. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) said the ad, titled ‘Historic,’ is part of its $8.4 million ad reservation in Nevada this fall. ‘Adam Laxalt praised the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade,’ the ad begins, also noting that Laxalt called Roe v. Wade a ‘joke’ in June and described the Supreme Court’s overturning of abortion rights later that month as ‘a historic victory.’” [The Hill, 9/6/22]