A new television ad in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race features the jarring first-person testimony of a Chilton County woman who previously had an abortion and has since atoned.
The 30-second spot was released by Republican nominee Tommy Tuberville’s campaign on Thursday and seeks to emphasize that U.S. Senator Doug Jones’ (D-AL) views on abortion are far to the left of the majority of his constituents’ views.
Jones has been a staunch defender of abortion access while in the U.S. Senate, previously saying that he views abortion as “a constitutional right” and voicing his opposition to declaring a baby in the womb as a “person” under the law.
Alabama’s junior senator has voted against the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act two separate times. That legislation would prohibit abortion after 20 weeks’ gestation based on scientific research suggesting that fetuses are capable of feeling pain by that point in pregnancy. A report released recently suggested that fetal pain is in fact possible even earlier in pregnancy than 20 weeks.
Additionally, Jones previously voted against banning using federal funds for abortions and bashed an attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade as “so extreme and so callous.”
“Since becoming Alabama’s placeholder senator, Doug Jones has fought to use our taxpayer dollars to fund abortions, and he has even said he supports abortion until a child is born,” Tuberville said in a statement.
Tuberville has been endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee and the pro-life, women-led Susan B. Anthony List in the race.
The Republican candidate’s new ad is currently airing on broadcast and cable stations as well as social media outlets.
“This commercial points out that instead of representing Alabama’s conservative beliefs and moral values, Doug Jones chooses to support the Hollywood and New York values of his high-dollar, out-of-state campaign donors,” Tuberville added.
The spot opens with a scene of Clanton’s Kacy Gray outlining, “Today, I am a proud, pro-life mother of two, but when I was 18, I had an unexpected pregnancy.”
“Not a day goes by that I don’t deeply regret having an abortion,” she continues. “I asked God for forgiveness, and Doug Jones should do the same.”
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The release of this ad comes the day after Jones asserted that former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and President Donald J. Trump only “pretend” to support Christian values.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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