A pro-life group launched a TV ad campaign Tuesday against Sen. Kay Hagan, slamming her support for late-term abortions as “too extreme for North Carolina.”
Women Speak Out PAC, a partner of the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, announced a $620,000 ad buy that will run 11 days in the Raleigh media market as part of its effort to undermine Mrs. Hagan’s re-election campaign and boost Republican challenger Thom Tillis.
The ad attempts to turn the tables on Mrs. Hagan, who has attacked Mr. Tillis for being a right-wing “extremist” and for being anti-woman.
The ad features Ned and Rebecca Ryun, whose daughter Charlotte survived a premature birth at 24 months, when she weighed just 1 pound 7 ounces and was 12 inches long.
“I didn’t think at 24 weeks you could have a viable baby,” says Mrs. Ryun in the ad.
The spot includes photographs of tiny baby Charlotte in a hospital incubator and later images of her as a healthy young girl.
“It is a human being that wants to live, that has a soul, that has a will that has a desire to live,” says Mr. Ryun. “For those that are advocating late-term abortion, look at my daughter.”
“These are babies, this is human life and we’re their only voice,” says Mrs. Ryun.
The ad closes with a photograph of Mrs. Hanag and a voice-over announcer saying, “Kay Hagan supports painful late-term abortions. She’s too extreme for North Carolina.”
The Hagan campaign dismissed the new ad as a “distraction” from outside groups linked to billionaire political activists Charles and David Koch.
“This ad, from yet another Koch-affiliated group, is meant to distract voters from Speaker Tillis’ record of rejecting health care for women who need it, passing laws to reduce access to preventive care, defunding Planned Parenthood, and espousing fringe positions like saying the state has the authority to ban contraceptives,” said Hagan campaign spokesman Chris Hayden.
The TV ad is part of an extensive campaign by Women Speak Out to turn out North Carolina’s pro-life voters in support of Mr. Tillis, who has struggled to shore up support among the state’s conservative voters.
A NBC News/Marist poll last week showed Mrs. Hagan leading Mr. Tillis 44 percent to 40 percent.
“Senator Hagan’s support for taxpayer funded abortion and late term abortion after five months flies in the face of mainstream North Carolinians who, like the majority of all Americans, support this compassionate legislation to protect women and their babies from late abortion,” said Tami Fitzgerald, North Carolina state director for Women Speak Out.
Citing recent polling that shows 59 percent of undecided voters who care about the abortion issue are pro-life, Mrs. Fitzgerald said, “Our efforts could make the difference for pro-life Thom Tillis in this race.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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