Joe Lombardo is the Republican nominee for Governor. However, he has not used abortion as a campaign message. His campaign expense reports indicate that he has been supporting anti-abortion groups.
Lombardo didn’t respond to requests for information in the past. Nevada Independent questionnaire on abortion sent to major candidates in late May and hasn’t publicly outlined what his beliefs are or what his plan would be, instead using a blanket statement that abortion in Nevada is already protected.
Earlier this year, Lombardo’s campaign sponsored Nevada Right To Life was invited to an event and a $1500 payment was made to the group. Special event fees
Lombardo also paid more than $1,400 to Women’s Resource Medical Centers Of Southern Nevada (WRMCSN) related to special events. Lombardo’s campaign also paid another crisis pregnancy center — Living Grace Homes – about $300 for event fees, according to his second quarter report.
It is possible for the names and missions of these centers to be misleading. According to findings by the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, “crisis pregnancy centers” are oftentimes run by organizations that seek to intercept women who might be considering terminating their pregnancy and persuade them that adoption or parenting is a better option.
WRMCSN is a faith-based nonprofit that aims to end the demand for abortions and offers free services, including pregnancy tests, prenatal care and counseling, “to women and couples who are making decisions about unintended pregnancies.” While the organization’s website shows abortion as an option along with adoption and parenting, it “does not recommend, provide, or refer for abortion.” WRMCSN also does not recommend, provide or refer patients to use contraceptives.
Similarly, Living Grace Homes’ website says it aims to “[help] young mothers grow into healthy, empowered, and productive women,” especially women between 14 to 24 years old.
Living Grace Homes is affiliated with Heartbeat International, a network of pro-life pregnancy resource centers in the United States, which openly “celebrates” the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
A helicopter ride-along on a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department plane was donated to WRMCSN in February 2022 as a silent auction item. The bidder donated $1,000. A Metro spokesperson stated that all requests for aerial ride-alongs require approval from the sheriff’s department and can last approximately an hour and a quarter. The spokesperson couldn’t say how frequently ride-alongs were donated.
During the ride-along, the flight’s tasks are carried out the same as they would be without a participant, the spokesperson told The Nevada IndependentIt could be answering a call for assistance in a crisis situation, or simply patrolling. Metro’s “air support/search and rescue” budget is about $9 million, out of a budget of more than $715 million.
In Metro’s “We Care” pamphlet with local community resources, WRMCSN (not by name but as “Crisis Pregnancy Center” with a matching phone number) and Living Grace Homes are listed, but abortion providers or pro-choice groups were not.
Lombardo’s campaign did not respond to The Nevada Independent’s You can request comment.
— Jannelle Calderon
