Paladino, Robach in Concert Opposing Protection for Vulnerable Women

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Robin Wilt (D-WFP), candidate for State Senate in the 56th District, today issued a warning that election of the GOP team of Carl Paladino and Joe Robach would jeopardize legislation to protect the reproductive health of New York’s most vulnerable women.

Wilt joined Nora Bredes, president of the Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy, Elaine Spaull, vice president of the Rochester City Council, and Linda Stephens, president of the Greater Rochester Chapter of the National Organization for Women to decry comments by Republican gubernatorial candidate Paladino on CNN last Wednesday night, in which he indicated he would oppose the right of rape victims to have access to reproductive health choices.

“As frightful as Paladino’s agenda is, Joe Robach and his Republican colleagues in the Senate have already paved the way for attacks on protections for vulnerable women,” Wilt said. “Robach is consistently anti-choice and has stalled on allowing even the most basic measures, such as age-appropriate sex education, from passing the Senate.  While the majority of people in Rochester and New York State favor reasonable measures such as the Reproductive Health Act, which codifies Roe v. Wade in New York law, and the Healthy Teens Act, which guarantees age-appropriate sex education in public schools, Joe Robach has failed to support those initiatives."

Last year, when the state faced a multi-billion dollar budget deficit, Robach signed on to Senate GOP proposals to cut a number of programs, including $3.51 million for cervical cancer screening.

“If Robach and his allies take control of the Senate, there is no doubt they will work in lockstep with Paladino to make their agenda and proposals reality,” Wilt said. “I have already asked Joe Robach to publicly disavow Paladino as his party’s nominee for governor. His silence is deafening.”

Source Material:

Legislative history of bill to establish an age-appropriate sex education grant program, to be referred to as the Healthy Teens Act:

http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/api/1.0/html/bill/S3836

Legislative history of bill to enact the “reproductive health act”:

http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S5808

CNN Interview with Carl Paladino:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2010/09/16/am.paladino.mad.as.hell.cnn?iref=allsearch

Senate Republicans' Proposed 2009-2010 Budget Cuts:

http://www.nysenate.gov/press-release/senate-republicans-propose-budget-cutting-measures