Democrat Kermit Jones says Republican Kevin Kiley would ban all abortions. Is that true?
“As families struggle with inflation, what’s Kevin Kiley’s priority? To ban all abortions,” says Democratic congressional candidate Kermit Jones’ new ad.
But Kiley does not support banning all abortions.
“The ad is false,” said Dave Gilliard, a Kiley campaign consultant.
The Republican Rocklin assemblyman does support a woman’s right to abortion in cases involving instances of rape and incest and when the life of the mother is at risk.
Jones’ campaign backs up its assertion by citing Kiley’s history of Assembly votes against abortion and support from groups that back bans.
“He cheered when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. He voted against a law prohibiting a ban. He’s been endorsed by groups that support a ban. He’s received a 100% rating from groups that support a ban. If the Assemblyman isn’t for a total ban, he sure has a funny way of showing it,” said Michaela Kurinsky-Malos, Jones’ campaign manager.
Kiley and Jones are vying for an open congressional seat in California’s redrawn 3rd District, which stretches from Plumas County, through Sacramento’s suburbs and into parts of El Dorado County and down to Inyo County.
It’s a seat that independent analysts see as likely Republican, but where Democrats have high hopes they can pull an upset.
They see Jones, a 46-year-old family doctor and Navy veteran, as an up and coming star, someone whose centrist views and gentle style will appeal to moderates in a district that President Donald Trump won with roughly half the vote.
He supports a law providing a right to abortion that “entrusts a physician to provide the necessary medical care to save lives,” Jones told The Bee. “The idea that a politician knows what is better for my patients than I do is absurd.”
Jones has been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Kiley, 37, is also one of his own party’s hopes for the future. He was endorsed by Trump and spoke this year in Texas at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a national gathering of like-minded Republicans eager to spotlight their next generation.
He has been endorsed by the California ProLife Council and Right to Life Federation. The council is the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.
The Abortion Battle
Jones’ campaign points out that the committee does not support exceptions in cases of rape or incest.
“If a pregnancy occurs as a result of a sexual assault against a woman, abortion is not the answer,” says a policy statement on the state group’s website.
Using abortion to terminate a pregnancy caused by rape “does nothing to alleviate the pain and anguish of the rape. It merely allows society to forget the rape and pretend that justice has been done, leaving the woman to deal with the emotions of the assault and the added trauma of abortion,” the statement says..
“In the case of incest, abortion actually protects the perpetrator of the crime by concealing the incestuous act. Aborting the baby and returning the incest victim to the incestuous situation is unthinkable,” it adds.
If the mother’s life is in danger, the group says, it “does not oppose medical treatment to save the life of the mother which may result in the unintended death of the child. The unintended death of the child is not to be construed as abortion.”
Kiley differs with these policies.
“Kevin does not want to ban all abortions,” Gilliard said, “and he has never said that, nor has he ever voted to deny abortions to victims of rape and incest and when the life of the mother is at risk.”
Earlier this year, Kiley told The Bee, “I am pro-life.”
The Supreme Court’s June decision overturning Roe v. Wade, which had given women the constitutional right to abortion, “will not change anything in California,” Kiley said, “yet politicians are already using it as a pretext to push radical policies that go far beyond what the vast majority of Californians of either party support.”
Kiley battles Jones
Kiley had a 20% rating in 2021 from Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California, which does support abortion rights. It also takes positions on other health-related issues. He scored a zero in 2018 and 2020 and 20% in 2019.
Last year, Kiley voted its way on a widely supported bill to improve telehealth services. One of the bill’s benefits was seen as making mental health assessments and treatment easier to obtain.
Jones is also blasting Kiley for a series of Assembly votes this year aimed at providing more access to women seeking abortions.
“If the Assemblyman believes that voters and state Legislatures should decide, then he is OK with banning all abortions, should states go that route. He can’t have it both ways. The Assemblyman has had the chance to vote for various protections for the right to abortion and he ALWAYS votes the wrong way. The idea that he is trying to moderate himself on this is absurd,” said Kurinsky-Malos.
Kiley voted against the proposed constitutional amendment giving a woman the right to choose to have abortion.
He opposed legislation that would ban removal or suspension of physicians’ licenses if they performed an abortion that was legal in California.
He voted no on a measure requiring all state-licensed health care service plans to cover abortion services without a co-payment, deductible, or any type of cost-sharing.
And he opposed the bill that would shield those seeking abortion providers and care in California from civil actions brought by other states.
If eleced, Kiley would oppose making abortion a federal issue. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, recently proposed legislation outlawing abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Kiley “believes it should be up to the voters and Legislatures in the individual states to decide,” Gilliard said.
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This story was originally published September 28, 2022 at 12:48 PM.
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