North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Bobbie Richardson.

When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.

Those are the wise words of Maya Angelou and an important reminder for North Carolinians as early voting begins this week for the 2022 midterm elections. In the critical U.S. Senate race, reproductive freedoms are on the ballot, and Congressman Budd has shown voters exactly who he is – repeatedly. North Carolina must believe him.

Congressman Budd has made it clear when it comes to protecting abortion access and expanding healthcare, he will do everything they can to strip away our rights. He insists on interfering with women’s abilities to make their own medical decisions, but there is no room in the doctor’s office for Congressman Budd.

He supports a total ban on abortion, even in the case of rape, incest or threat to a woman’s health. He is an original co-sponsor of a bill that would ban abortion nationwide, despite the fact that the majority of North Carolinians support access to abortion. He has said that he will do everything to “push it all the way back to the point of conception” and even characterized abortion in the cases of rape, incest, and where the mother’s life could be at risk, as a “second tragedy” that should not be added to the situation.

And today, he is unabashedly campaigning with Senator Lindsey Graham – the primary sponsor of a national abortion ban.

Congressman Budd is attending an event today with Senator Lindsey Graham who is leading the charge to take away women’s freedoms and access to health care. Just weeks after claiming he thinks it should be “up to the states” to determine abortion laws, Congressman Budd signed onto a bill that would ban abortion nationwide and is proudly standing beside those who want to do the same.

This type of draconian legislation would not only restrict North Carolinians rights and freedoms, but put pregnant people in danger. For a woman who has an ectopic pregnancy, an abortion is a life-saving treatment. And for decades, women have had the right to make this decision without government interference.

I’ve heard directly from doctors who fear that further restrictions on abortion will only increase risk and threaten patient safety. They’re afraid that politicians passing laws to criminalize doctors for doing their job or erecting obstacles for physicians to have to prove that abortion care is medically necessary will get in the way of providing the best possible health care for their patients.

The bottom line is that safe and essential health care should be available to those who need it and medical decisions should be made by patients and their providers – not politicians like Congressman Budd or Senator Graham.

Someone with such a distrust of women to have autonomy over their own bodies and future cannot be trusted in the U.S. Senate. Congressman Budd does not deserve to represent the women of North Carolina.

Bobbie Richardson is chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.

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