PINK IS POWER? GOVERNOR RESPONDS TO SCRUTINY WITH NEW “MORE THAN 11,500” CLAIM AS TRANSPARENCY QUESTIONS GROW

AFNM Investigation: Public records, campaign finance disclosures, and the Governor’s latest remarks raise new questions about abortion statistics, political influence, and government accountability in New Mexico.

By Bud Shaver,

​ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — After Abortion Free New Mexico’s Inspection of Public Records Act investigation compelled the release of internal records concerning New Mexico’s abortion data, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a new public statement claiming that “more than 11,500 patients received abortion services in 2024.”

The Governor’s statement follows AFNM’s investigation documenting conflicting abortion figures and unresolved questions about how the state’s abortion statistics were compiled, verified, and communicated to the public.
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In her latest public message, the Governor stated:

“Since Roe was overturned, New Mexico has stood firm as a safe haven for reproductive health care. In 2024 alone, more than 11,500 patients received abortion services here. We will continue protecting access and defending providers.”

▶️ GOVERNOR'S VIDEO DECLARATION

At a time when reproductive health care access continues to disappear across the country, New Mexico is still holding the door open. We’ve worked to protect patients, support providers and preserve access to care.

Those efforts helped make New Mexico a trusted destination for… pic.twitter.com/7FRhUj1bvP

— Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (@GovMLG) July 20, 2026

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In a separate video (above) accompanying those remarks, Governor Lujan Grisham declared that “Pink is power in New Mexico,” while describing “what we’re doing through Planned Parenthood,” portraying Planned Parenthood’s agenda as part of a broader movement centered on democracy, equality, freedom, and choice.

Rather than addressing AFNM’s documented questions regarding conflicting abortion statistics, taxpayer-funded abortion policies, or government transparency, the Governor again emphasized themes closely associated with Planned Parenthood’s political advocacy.

Governor Lujan Grisham’s declaration that “Pink is power in New Mexico” raises a broader and more consequential question: 

What does that power represent—and whose interests does it serve?

In a representative government, political power ultimately belongs to the people. Yet AFNM says the Governor’s remarks, viewed alongside Planned Parenthood’s political spending and expanding influence in New Mexico, raise legitimate questions about whether public policy is being shaped by the will of New Mexico’s citizens or by one of the state’s most influential political advocacy organizations.

AFNM’s recent Follow the Money investigation documented that Planned Parenthood-affiliated political organizations spent more than $400,000 in independent expenditures supporting Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s 2022 reelection, while affiliated political committees also contributed $20,000 directly to her campaign.

The investigation also resulted in a 2026 ethics complaint alleging that Democratic Secretary of State candidate Amanda Lopez Askin failed to disclose $2,291.44 in Planned Parenthood-funded in-kind campaign support, including mailers, staff time, and other campaign services. AFNM says these findings raise broader concerns about campaign-finance transparency, disclosure compliance, and the influence of powerful political advocacy organizations in New Mexico elections.

AFNM has also documented Planned Parenthood’s continued expansion in New Mexico while affiliates in numerous other states have closed or consolidated facilities. As New Mexico continues funding abortion through taxpayer-supported programs and promoting itself as an abortion destination, AFNM says the Governor’s repeated messaging raises important questions about the influence of one of the state’s most powerful political advocacy organizations.

AFNM EDITORIAL CARTOON

The Governor’s latest wording also represents another shift in the administration’s public messaging.

The Governor previously cited 11,512 abortions in New Mexico during 2024, while a New Mexico Department of Health abortion dashboard reported 11,523. The Governor has now adopted the broader phrase “more than 11,500” without publicly explaining the difference between the previously released figures.

AFNM’s investigation also highlighted a substantially higher estimate from the Guttmacher Institute, which reported approximately 18,130 clinician-provided abortions in New Mexico during 2024.

The gap between the state’s reported figures and the Guttmacher estimate raises significant questions about the completeness, methodology, provider participation, and verification procedures underlying New Mexico’s abortion statistics.

Rather than addressing those discrepancies, the Governor again promoted New Mexico as a destination for abortion and presented the reported number as evidence of her administration’s commitment to protecting the abortion industry.

When the Governor says ‘Pink is power in New Mexico,’ New Mexicans have every right to ask what that power represents,” said Tara Shaver, a leader with Abortion Free New Mexico. “In our system of government, political power is supposed to belong to the people—not to well-funded special interests. AFNM’s investigation asks whether public policy is being shaped by the will of New Mexico’s citizens or by one of the state’s most influential political advocacy organizations.”

Internal Department of Health communications obtained through AFNM’s public-records investigation showed that state officials were compiling and communicating abortion statistics to the Governor’s Office.

The released records also indicated that compiling, analyzing, and confirming more recent abortion data would require additional time. However, the documents did not provide a complete methodology explaining how the publicly reported totals were calculated or verified.

The records contained no documentation clearly identifying:

• The methodology used to compile the abortion statistics.
• Every abortion provider that submitted information.
• Whether all abortion facilities participated.
• How the figures were checked for accuracy.
• Whether duplicate, incomplete, or missing reports were identified.
• What procedures governed data collection after statutory abortion-reporting requirements were repealed.

These unanswered questions are particularly significant because legislative testimony concerning Senate Bill 30 indicated that abortion providers had not consistently submitted reports required under New Mexico law since approximately 2019. Rather than restoring compliance and strengthening public accountability, the Legislature repealed the abortion-reporting requirement in 2026.

This wasn’t about transparency—it was about promoting the abortion industry’s political narrative. Rather than answering the documented questions raised by AFNM’s investigation, the Governor chose to celebrate New Mexico’s growing role as one of the nation’s leading abortion destinations while repeating messaging closely associated with Planned Parenthood’s political advocacy.”

Tara Shaver continued,

To announce that more than 11,500 unborn children lost their lives should break our hearts—not become a political achievement. Every child lost represents a profound human tragedy, not a milestone to celebrate.”

AFNM says the Governor’s latest statement does not resolve the central issue raised by its investigation.

Whether the correct figure is 11,512, 11,523, “more than 11,500,” or closer to the Guttmacher Institute’s estimate of 18,130, New Mexicans deserve to know how the numbers were gathered and whether they accurately represent abortion activity throughout the state.

The Governor’s latest remarks also mark an increasingly confrontational posture toward states that have enacted laws protecting unborn children following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. By declaring that “Pink is power in New Mexico” and pledging to continue “the fight,” Governor Lujan Grisham is not merely defending New Mexico’s abortion policies—she is positioning the state in direct opposition to jurisdictions that have chosen to protect unborn children.

​AFNM says that escalating rhetoric raises broader questions about the direction of New Mexico’s leadership, the priorities driving public policy, and the influence of the abortion industry’s political allies within state government.

When the Governor celebrates New Mexico’s abortion industry while attacking states that have chosen to protect unborn children, every New Mexican should ask where this path leads,” said Bud Shaver, Executive Director of Abortion Free New Mexico. “This investigation is about more than abortion statistics. It is about political influence, government transparency, and whether powerful special interests are shaping public policy. New Mexicans deserve leaders who welcome scrutiny and place the public interest above political ideology.”

Power demands accountability.

If “Pink is power,” New Mexicans deserve to know: Who is in control—and who does that power ultimately serve?

​Abortion Free New Mexico will continue following the evidence, pursuing public records, and documenting the facts so New Mexicans have the transparency needed to hold government accountable.