Thread by @duboo

NEW: ALEC has taken a clear position in favor of the #SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, & has teamed up with the political arm of the extremist anti-abortion movement to coach its legislative members on how to campaign on the issue.
#ALECExposed
exposedbycmd.org/2022/07/01/ale…

Former WI Gov. Walker (R) joined Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, formerly known as Susan B. Anthony List, to train ALEC’s state leadership on how to talk about banning abortion in the upcoming elections, according to materials reviewed by the Center for Media and Democracy

An invitation for the Zoom meeting last March obtained by CMD went out to many ALEC legislative leaders, as well as lobbyists from Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Duke Energy, UPS, and Charles Koch’s astroturf operation Americans for Prosperity.

Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life America provided ALEC state lawmakers with this "mock interview" to aid them in preparing to message the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Susan B. Anthony List Pro-Life America also gave ALEC politicians this messaging guide highlighting "Four Top Messages" and "Answering Tough Questions."
documentcloud.org/documents/2207…

The suggested spin follows much of what SBA introduced to CNP at its Feb meeting, which CMD first covered shortly after. Right-wing activists are concerned that the #SCOTUS decision in Dobbs will negatively impact Republicans in this year’s midterms.
exposedbycmd.org/2022/03/24/don…

At the ALEC meeting in March, SBA promoted four key messages. First, “focus on the humanity” of the fetus at 15 weeks, presenters urged, emphasizing disputed medical claims that a fetus can feel pain at 15 weeks.

The second message SBA gave ALEC leaders is to “emphasize that the likely outcome in Dobbs will be to allow the American people to debate this issue through their elected representatives—NOT a complete nationwide ban on abortion.”

The language mirrors that used in the ruling itself and is crafted to sound reasonable and reassuring, while obscuring SBA’s own goal of winning a nationwide ban on abortions with no exceptions.

The third message SBA urged ALEC leaders (all of whom are Republicans) to use is to “hammer Democrats for their extremist position in favor of abortion on demand.”

Given that other polling SBA presented at the February CNP meeting shows that only 34% of respondents opposed Roe, the group’s strategy relies on shifting public attention away from the balanced approach of Roe and characterizing women’s rights advocates as extremists.

Finally, SBA encouraged ALEC leaders to emphasize that anti-abortion extremists care about mothers as well as unborn children. This may be a challenge for ALEC legislators who have long opposed paid sick leave, paid family leave, and universal pre-K.

SBA shared a piece at the meeting outlining “State Prospects for Pro-Life Laws Post-Roe,” which lists 22 states where SBA and its allies now intend to go on the “defense” to ensure that the federal anti-abortion ruling is enforced locally.
documentcloud.org/documents/2207…

SBA lists Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia as states where the group needs to go on the “offense” and push for “legislative and messaging campaigns…to enact pro-life protections for all unborn children.”

SBA claims to have “a network of state legislators,” likely developed through its connections to ALEC, and is available to assist lawmakers in planning “the various scenarios that can play out in the states.”