Reverend in Dist. 26 Race gets NOW, Planned Parenthood Endorsements

Rev. Gene Dyszlewski has gotten the endorsement of two of the state's progressive groups, his campaign announced today.

Planned Parenthood Votes! Rhode Island announced that it is supporting Dyszlewski on July 31 and the state chapter of the National Organization for Women gave him their endorsement on Aug. 1.

"Women’s issues have become a prominent concern because some state legislatures are foolishly attempting to erode women’s health care choices," Dyszlewski said in a release. "We already trust women to make 80 percent of the health care decisions for their families. We already trust women to be the major care giver when a child falls ill. In fact, we trust women to be the major care giver when any family member falls ill. So, we certainly should trust women with medical decisions over their own bodies."

Dyszlewski is a minister at United Church of Christ in Cranston. He is running as a Democrat and will be vying for the Democratic nomination for the seat on the Sept. 11 primary, squaring off against , who is hoping to make a leap into the Senate. The winner of the primary , a Republican who announced his candidacy way back in March and narrowly lost to Sen. Beatrice Lanzi for the Dist. 26 seat in 2010. 

From his release:

“The battle for the individual rights of women is one of long standing and none of us should countenance anything which undermines it.” Eleanor Roosevelt 

Rev. Dyszlewski, a United Church of Christ minister from Cranston, is a progressive and a feminist who supports pay equity, economic opportunity, access to women’s health care and family planning, reproductive freedom, and policies that benefit working families. He is a member of the Rhode Island chapter of NOW, a member of Clergy for Reproductive Choice, and a past board member of Marriage Equality Rhode Island. He is also a founding board member of the Riverside Family Center, which has combined arts education and affordable after-school child care for 10 years.  He also currently serves on the board of We Share Hope, Inc. a food rescue and distribution project serving food pantries. 

The Rev. Gene Dyszlewski, of Phenix Avenue in Cranston, is a Democratic candidate for the Rhode Island Senate in District 26. To learn more about Rev. Dyszlewski and his campaign, visit www.JustCallMeGene.com.