In Case You Missed It, Adam Laxalt is facing extensive criticism for his newly revealed comments on Roe v. Wade. In a recording obtained by the Nevada Independent, Laxalt said the decision was “a joke” and that it’s “sad” that Nevadans support abortion rights.

In addition to calling the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade a “historic victory”, Laxalt said he would support overturning Nevada’s abortion protections with a strict state-level ban. As Nevada’s attorney general, Laxalt pushed to restrict access to birth control.

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Nevada Independent: Laxalt calls 1973 Roe v. Wade decision ‘a joke,’ bemoans Nevada’s abortion protections

Key points: 

• Earlier this month, Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Attorney General Adam Laxalt called the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision “a joke” and said it’s “sad” that Nevada is not anti-abortion.
• Laxalt made the comments during a June 6 pancake breakfast with pastors and faith leaders in Reno, and audio from that event was obtained by The Nevada Independent. It marks some of the bluntest language used by Laxalt on the subject of abortion this election cycle.
• “Roe v. Wade was always a joke. It was a total, complete invention,” Laxalt said. “It has created decades and decades of political turmoil. Not to mention, the most important thing that it allowed across the country. So, I think its return back to the states is important.”
• After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Laxalt released a statement celebrating the “historic victory for the sanctity of life” and said the Supreme Court “never had the expertise nor the authority to unilaterally legislate on abortion.” The statement also noted that abortion rights are “settled law” in Nevada. 
• But in his comments to faith leaders in Reno, Laxalt noted recent polling showing a solid majority of Nevadans describe themselves as “pro-choice,” and said there is work to do around the issue. 
• “We’re not a pro-life state. We all have to be honest about that. It’s sad, it doesn’t make me happy,” Laxalt told the assembled faith leaders. “But we are not a pro-life state and we got work to do on that.”

HuffPost: GOP Senate Candidate Adam Laxalt Says It’s ‘Sad’ Nevada Protects Abortion Rights

Key Points: 

• Take Adam Laxalt, the former Nevada attorney general who is running against Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), for example. He called the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe a “historic victory,” but said it doesn’t change “settled law” in his state, which is one of the most accepting of the procedure.
• Yet at a Nevada GOP breakfast with faith leaders last month, Laxalt called Roe v. Wade “a joke” and lamented that Nevada is not anti-abortion rights.
• “We’re not a pro-life state. We all have to be honest about that. It’s sad, it doesn’t make me happy,” Laxalt said at the June 6 event, according to audio obtained by The Nevada Independent. “But we are not a pro-life state, and we got work to do on that.”
• Cortez Masto, one of the most vulnerable Democrats up for re-election this year, has called Laxalt “an automatic vote for a national abortion ban in the Senate.” “Women’s rights aren’t a joke,” she tweeted on Thursday.

KSNV (Broadcast):

LAXALT: But on Roe in general. I’m a constitutional conservative lawyer and Roe v Wade was always a joke. Total complete invention…

REPORTER: You heard him say that Roe v Wade was always a joke. Well, it was national law here for the better part of 50 years in this country. He’s set to face off against Catherine Cortez Masto for a seat in the U.S. Senate. and you imagine that abortion is going to be a big issue in this campaign.

MSNBC: Friday’s Campaign Round-Up, 7.1.22

Key Points: 

• In Nevada’s highly competitive U.S. Senate race, Republican Adam Laxalt doesn’t generally push his opposition to abortion rights, but last month, he was more candid during an event with faith leaders. 
• The Nevada Independent reported on audio it obtained in which Laxalt, a former state attorney general, called the Roe v. Wade decision “a joke” and said it’s “sad” that Nevada is not anti-abortion.

KNPR (Radio):

REPORTER: The Nevada Independent has obtained audio of Republican US Senate candidate and former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt, calling the 1973 Roe versus Wade decision a joke. The Independent reports Laxalt was at a pancake breakfast with Reno area religious leaders when he told the gathering he thinks it’s sad Nevada allows abortions. The remarks are among the harshest things he said in recent months about the debate over reproductive health rights. Laxalt has avoided talking about his positions on specific abortion protections but has said that he would support a statewide referendum banning abortions after 13 weeks of pregnancy. Laxalt’s work as Nevada Attorney General involved multiple legal efforts to limit abortion access in other States. He has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and anti-abortion groups, Nevada Right To Life and National Right To Life.

Las Vegas Review Journal: PARTY LINES: Abortion laws set in Nevada, but politics still a factor

Key points: 

• The abortion question has also come up in the race for U.S. Senate. The Nevada Independent’s Tabitha Mueller obtained audio of Republican nominee Adam Laxalt calling Roe v. Wade “a joke” and saying the ruling had been “a total, complete invention.”
• That view, by the way, isn’t just limited to Republicans. Even supporters of abortion rights — including the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – have opined in the past that Roe v. Wade was decided on less than firm grounds. The Washington Post reported Ginsburg favored a more incremental approach, and would have based abortion rights on equal protection rather than an unmentioned constitutional right to privacy.
• And Laxalt’s Democratic opponent, Catherine Cortez Masto, clearly believes there’s some potency to the abortion issue. On Friday, she held a news conference on abortion rights to highlight her stance and contrast her view with Laxalt’s.

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