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Raquel Pacheco is running against Republican State
Senator Ileana Garcia.
Millions of dollars will be spent
to help Garcia win reelection,
while Pacheco will be lucky if she has 1/10th
of the money that Garcia will spend.
Instead, Pacheco is hoping that one issue
will define this race, abortion.
Pacheco argues she would defend reproductive rights,
while Garcia not only voted for the 15-week abortion ban,
she would also support eliminating abortion
in all cases, including rape and incest.
I spoke to Pacheco about why she feels so strongly
about this issue.
>>The first time I walked into a Planned Parenthood
I was 15 years old, and it was truly a blessing
to me to feel like I had a safe haven
in a community that was there of medical experts
who were ready to help me understand my changing body,
understand the challenges involved with, you know,
women's reproductive organs,
understand the importance of staying on top
of my reproductive health,
of having yearly exams,
understanding the risks of socially transmitted diseases,
and you know, the different forms of birth control available
for both males and females.
>>Wait.
Let me just stop you there for a second.
How did you find your way into a Planned Parenthood clinic?
>>Well, there was one in my hometown,
and teenage girls talk amongst themselves,
and the word spreads quickly.
I found it through networking with my friends,
asking them, "Where do you go?
Where do you get help?"
>>And how important was that
for you to be able to go somewhere
where you were able to get good, clear information,
as opposed to just sort of, you know,
you hear, "Well, just learn it on the streets,"
as opposed to- >>Right.
>>Doing what you were able to do.
Right.
>>Look, Jim, it was literally life changing for me.
You know, 10 years old, I land here.
15 years old, I'm walking into Planned Parenthood.
19 years old, I'm joining with the Connecticut Army
National Guard, serving in the military.
It literally gave me the tools that I needed
to make very clear decisions about my life.
I went on to become a college student,
the first one in my family to graduate from college.
I opened my own business at the age of 22.
And then, at the age of 37 is when I got pregnant,
and decided to have a child.
So it afforded me this tremendous tool and freedom,
which is what this country is about,
to make my own decisions and to make very, you know,
thought out and planned,
you know, to really figure out which direction
I wanted to take my life in.
>>Well, I don't wanna get overly personal with you,
but I know you've spoken about this,
so I know it's something you feel is important.
Again, I'm not saying this to embarrass you at all,
but when you became pregnant at 37,
that was not a planned pregnancy, is that correct?
>>Correct. Correct.
That was not.
>>And you had some choices that you had to make.
>>I was 37 years old.
Any woman 35 and above who gets pregnant is automatically
considered a high risk pregnancy,
which means that now that there's a whole slew
of tests that you have to take.
One of which is an amniocentesis,
which is the extraction of the amnio fluid
to test for very serious developmental issues
with the fetus.
Spina bifida, for example, is one of the things
that they test for during that exam.
That test is not conducted
at it's very earliest.
At 20 weeks, that's the earliest that test can be conducted.
So that means, excuse me,
so that means that women all across our state
who are in their mid 30s,
most of whom probably already have children at home,
are now because of this 15-week ban
that my opponent voted for,
are now in this position where at 20 weeks, 22 weeks,
they could be carrying a dead fetus,
and are still being forced
to carry the fetus until delivery.
These are cruel and extremist laws
that have real impacts on women's lives,
on their family's lives.
You know, another example, an ectopic pregnancy.
This is a pregnancy where the fertilized egg
implants outside of the uterus.
Assuming that happens to someone's wife, you know,
and she goes to the emergency room,
and you have two kids at home,
and your wife has an ectopic pregnancy.
You go to the emergency room.
That woman cannot get the life saving treatment.
And this is a deadly situation.
An ectopic pregnancy will kill you.
So you're now putting women and families
in a position where they are literally leaving children
behind because of my opponent's religious convictions.
This is absolutely cruel and extreme.
And so, you know, I have personal friends
that I've talked to who have family members
who have gone through this.
I mean, a very dear friend of mine,
his sister-in-law found out at about 22 weeks
that her fetus was missing some very vital organs
and would would die shortly after birth.
And she's a highly religious woman, very Catholic,
very anti-abortion, but this is real life, right?
When it hits you, you have to make real life decisions.
And so, you know, she sat with it for a week.
She cried for a week.
It was a tough decision.
And then she terminated.
Now, another thing that's important to note is
that if you don't terminate, you risk A. losing fertility
so you can no longer have children,
or B. dying from infection.
So again, I just wanna say these are cruel
and extremist positions.
>>So often I focus and others focus
on the failure to provide exceptions
in the cases of rape and incest.
But so much of what you've been talking about
isn't cases of rape and incest,
which hopefully become rare pregnancies as a result,
but everyday life for women
who are trying to make choices
and trying to navigate
through the circumstances of their life
and make the best decisions they can
for them and their families.
I think that's the part that often gets missed.
Everyone sort of talks about abortion.
Well, I've heard people, I mean,
I heard Senator Rubio the other day
in interview with me say, "It's four months.
If you can't make a decision within four months,
then shame on you."
But that's not the case.
>>Senator Rubio needs an education.
>>Well, I think Senator Ileana Garcia said-
>>She most certainly does. She certainly does.
You know, I've actually heard my opponent say
that women use abortion as a method of birth control.
I mean, not only is that incredibly a ridiculous statement,
a really cruel statement, it's incredibly inaccurate.
I have yet to meet a single woman in my life,
and I'm gonna be 48 years old November 2nd,
I have yet to meet a woman who has ever used
you know, abortion as a method of birth control.
And additionally, women who are having abortions
at 20 weeks or 21 weeks overwhelmingly,
almost without exception,
they're doing it for medical reasons.
It's not about whether you can or cannot decide
within five months,
it's about medical reasons.
And also, it's about decisions between women
and their families.
What in the world does our government,
what right does it have to come into our homes
and to interfere with that process,
with our faith, with our medical advisors,
with our family?
You know, talk about government overreach,
this party that claims to be the party
of small government and of freedom is literally
attacking every freedom.
I mean, especially when it comes to women.
You know, in my opinion, any time that you value the life
of the unborn over the life of the existing,
the present, the woman, the womb, the host,
you've got your priorities in the wrong order.
>>Well, let me ask you this.
What limits would you place on abortion?
>>Well, for starters, Jim, I think that 24 weeks,
which was the standard before this ban is
where we should be at.
You know, if-
>>So you're not in favor of just a woman deciding
in the third trimester, late in the third trimester,
to have an abortion?
Again, I've heard Republicans say
that Democrats just want abortion
up until the day before the child is expected to be born,
and then kill it at that moment.
>>That's outrageous.
That is absolutely outrageous.
I mean, you know, again, that's just another example
of them, you know, gas lighting their base.
That's absolutely outrageous.
Of course I would not support that.
I believe that if a fetus is viable,
unless the issue is that the mother's life is at risk,
that, you know, there should be limits.
And I believe that the 24 week band that we had
before this overturning was perfectly acceptable,
and we should revert back to that.
>>The other guest earlier in this show was
State Senator Joe Gruters.
You know, he and I went back and forth
as to whether or not there will be additional measures
regarding abortion in the next legislative session
to lower it further,
to go closer to a fetal heartbeat bill,
maybe six weeks,
or maybe an outright ban on abortion in Florida.
And, you know,
he says he doesn't believe that's gonna happen,
but, you know, he also told me
that he didn't believe a year ago
that they were gonna do it at the last session,
so we really don't know.
And he finally acknowledged, "We don't know where
they're gonna be this next session
in terms of lowering it."
None of 'em want to talk about it
before the election, that's for sure.
>>Well, there you go.
That's, what's at stake, right?
It's the election.
The Republicans are coming to the realization
that they've made a big mistake here
when it comes to abortion.
I think, you know, overwhelmingly the country,
our state supports a woman's right,
especially with, you know,
when you consider these exceptions
that should be accounted for.
So I think they've come to the realization
that they're on the wrong end of the issue,
and they're trying to back peddle.
Now, there is no question in my mind,
nor should there be in any woman's mind,
that if Governor DeSantis and my opponent,
Ileana Garcia are reelected in November,
they will be emboldened.
And from what I understand,
there's already talks of a special session
in November to deal specifically with abortion.
Governor DeSantis has not been shy about giving us hints
that he plans to push for either a six-week or a total ban.
And my opponent has been more than clear
on the Senate floor and on audio,
and I've been present when she has said
that she supports a full ban, zero exceptions.
So there is no question that there is an appetite for this,
and that this is the direction that they're going in,
and winning in November will only embolden them to do that.