Even if Republican candidate Mark Ronchetti wins the election, he can still influence reproductive rights policy even if he can’t get his priorities passed in Congress with a Democratic majority.
Ronchetti has advocated an anti-abortion policy. In the Republican primary election, His campaign website said He believed that “life should be protected at every step.” In his September commercial, he said that if elected, he would support a voter vote on banning abortions after 15 weeks. But in July, Albuquerque megachurch pastor Steve Smothermon said Ronchetti had personally said that even if elected, Ronchetti would ban abortions. Ronchetti’s campaign denied it.
Related: Pastor says Ronchetti is trying to ban abortion
Smothermon repeated his claim to his congregation in October, saying, “He told me exactly what I said.”
Ronchetti’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this fall, Texas pastor Mark Lee Dixon announced that he was a staunch supporter and a major proponent of Texas’s abortion ban, which went into effect last year. I met Ronchetti Former President Donald Trump, who has also campaigned on the anti-abortion agenda, endorsed Ronchetti this week.
Many of Ronchetti’s policy plans require Congress to agree to his policy initiatives. New Mexico does not allow voter referendums, but the state legislature may pass legislation allowing voters to make amendments to the state constitution regarding the legality of abortion.
Former Republican Governor Gary Johnson (now registered as a libertarian) served two terms as Republican governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 and recommended Ronchetti for governor, Ronchetti issues an executive order. said it can. By issuing the executive order, Ronchetti “can do anything,” Johnson said.
One way other branches of government can block the governor’s use of executive orders is by suing the executive branch, Johnson said.
“It will be heard in court soon,” Johnson said.
Timothy Krebs, dean of the University of New Mexico Department of Political Science, said New Mexico’s governor “has a lot of power here” and the legislature is “relatively weak” in comparison.
“Governors have the power of the bully’s pulpit and can directly shape the agenda,” Krebs said.
Krebs said Ronchetti could influence state reproductive policy by speaking publicly about her position.
“The governor will have a platform that other politicians in the state do not have or cannot compete with,” Krebs said.
Johnson said that if Ronchetti wins, the legislature may view Ronchetti’s victory as a signal that a majority of voters support Ronchetti’s anti-abortion policy.
“You have to think that if he wins the election, Congress will pass what he calls a referendum on late-term abortion. ‘People have spoken.’ We should put it to the vote,” Johnson said. said Mr.
Former health policy adviser Jane Wischner said Ronchetti’s position on contraception could affect the state.
“Ronchetti is part of a decades-long effort to confuse abortion with birth control. It’s not an abortion pill. His statement goes against established positions in the scientific and medical community,” Wischner said.
She said Ronchetti’s conflation of contraception and abortion raises serious concerns about his commitment to access to contraception.
Another way Ronchetti can influence policy without congressional consent is by channeling federal funds into critical pregnancy centers through Temporary Assistance for Families in Need (TANF), says Southwest Women. Law Center staff attorney Jessica Serrano said.
The governor said, “We could very easily direct TANF funds or direct them in some way that the funds don’t necessarily go to the CPC, but [a governor] You can incorporate CPC into your existing programs,” says Serrano.
Southwest Women’s Law Center participated in a national survey on CPC last year. The study considered nonprofits to be a public health hazard.
Related: Critical Pregnancy Center Is Public Health Danger, Report Says
Serrano said many CPCs in New Mexico are short of medical staff. She said volunteers are staunchly opposed to abortion and spread misinformation to discourage individuals from seeking the option. It is a procedure and should be determined by the pregnant individual in consultation with a licensed healthcare provider.
Another danger, Serrano said, is that some CPCs provide misleading ultrasound.
“What I fear is that people think that by going to CPC, they are getting prenatal care,” Serrano said.
Serrano said nonprofits will “act boldly” in states where federal funds are pouring into the CPC.
Serrano said one of the dangers of states giving federal dollars to CPCs through the TANF program is that states that already do so don’t have the money that could go to programs for needy families. I said it wasn’t.
“We’re seeing a decline in funding from neighborhoods. Funds are being taken from other organizations and locations in economically poor areas and pumped into the CPC,” Serrano said.
SWWLC Executive Director Terrelene Massey said the state received $123 million in TANF funding from the federal government in 2020.
But one aspect of New Mexico’s reproductive health care policy is that Medicaid may cover eligible abortions. Serrano said abortion is a medical procedure covered by state Medicaid dollars.
“It’s already set a precedent,” she said.
James Jimenez, former executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children and chief of staff under Gov. , or due to the authority to manage with minimal effort.
How a program is managed, he said, affects the overall quality of the program.
Additionally, Jimenez said the law is generally written fairly broadly by Congress.
“Executives can interpret what these laws, administrations and budgets mean,” he said.
Another way governors can influence policy in a subtle way is by choosing ministers who are responsible for the day-to-day operations of the State Department. The state Senate must approve the appointment, but former State Public Education Commissioner Hannah Scandela ran the agency under former Gov. was
“Each minister has great powers. Most departments have rule-making powers that can set parameters for how programs are managed. The Ministry of Health, for example, can make rules limiting subsidies,” he said. Jimenez said.
Wischner said there are a myriad of less obvious appointments governors make within the state that could affect how policies are set going forward. To do.
“We do not want an anti-abortion agenda for licensing medical professionals in New Mexico. There is no reason for it to be a special focus of the Licensing Commission. It’s against a non-discriminatory medical license to have one,” she said.
Wischner said the governor will also appoint judges.
Jiménez said the governor could choose to deplete state agency staff by not hiring. He said both Martinez and Johnson have reduced the size of their staff to reduce the size of state government. Jimenez said the governor’s office could also delay the hiring process.
“It can be difficult. Congress can say, ‘We don’t need this money.’ There are ways Congress can respond,” Jimenez said.
In addition, Congress meets only for a short period at the beginning of each year.
“They can hold public hearings on issues. They can decide if it’s a legal issue, but they’re constrained by the kinds of actions they can take when they’re not in session,” Jimenez said. said.
Ronchetti, if elected, would likely repeal an executive order to protect reproductive health care announced by Lujan Grisham last summer. The first prevents providers and patients from being subpoenaed from other states and sensitive medical information. In another order, he was allocated $10 million to build a new reproductive health care facility in Doña Ana County.
Rep. Joan Ferrari (D-Las Cruces), the sponsor of the 2019 bill to repeal the 1969 New Mexico law banning abortion, said Ronchetti, if elected, would give state agencies access to doctors in and out. said he could direct him to comply with a subpoena for criminalizing To other states where abortion is not legal.
She said such a policy would have a chilling effect on abortion care in New Mexico.
