Reproductive Justice
Every Massachusetts resident has a fundamental human right to make their personal decision to prevent, commence, terminate, or continue a pregnancy. Regardless of any cruel attempts in Washington, D.C. to tear away bodily autonomy or block life-saving healthcare, we lawmakers here have a deep responsibility to ensure that Massachusetts leads the nation in reproductive justice. This means ensuring that everyone, regardless of circumstance or financial resources are able to choose an abortion and access reproductive care.
Together, we will
remove all Legal barriers so patients can access the care they need, when they need it
Abortion care is healthcare and healthcare is a fundamental human right. Patients and doctors should make the decision on whether to have an abortion based on each individual case. This is why I support removing all gestational limits and repeal the age limit on parental consent. No one should have to fly to Colorado or drive to Maryland to access an abortion in their third trimester. And no young person should have to obtain permission from a judge to obtain an abortion.
fund comprehensive reproductive care, including medical and in-clinic abortions, and community-based care
Money should never be a barrier to accessing reproductive healthcare. That is why I fight to both secure state funding for reproductive healthcare and require coverage by public and private health insurance of abortions, telehealth, gender-affirming care, post miscarriage mental health care, and community-based pre-natal, maternity and postpartum care. This includes full coverage for doulas and certified nurse midwives and creating and supporting freestanding birth centers.
Racial disparities in reproductive health are not only devastating but increased and widened over the past 10 years. Black women experience 2.5 higher rates of complications than white women. As such, we must fully implement all of the recommendations from the Special Commission on Racial Inequities in Maternal Health to eliminate horrific racial disparities and the overall rise and maternal morbidity and complications in Massachusetts over the past 10 years.
Oppose any and all attempts to undermine our right to access an abortion
Pass the Location Shield Act, which will ban the sale of personal location data from cell phones. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, selling location information of people visiting clinics puts them at risk of harassment and prosecution. Ban statewide crisis pregnancy centers (aka. anti-abortion centers) that spread medical misinformation, as well as requiring medically unnecessary procedures and infrastructure, such as TRAP laws (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers).
What we’ve delivered so far
Protected reproductive health care and gender-affirming services in the Commonwealth and established additional safeguards immediately following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade
Required insurance coverage for abortion and abortion-related care without being subject to deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, or other cost-sharing requirements. Forbids MassHealth from charging deductibles, coinsurance, copayments, or other cost-sharing requirements for pre-natal, childbirth, and post-partum care
Expanded access to contraceptives and medication abortion. Protected abortion providers, out-of-state patients, and insurers
Helped ensure that people who face grave circumstances after 24 weeks of pregnancy are not forced to leave Massachusetts to access reproductive health care service
Joined House colleagues in passing a bill that creates a state licensure pathway for midwives and lactation consultants and encourages the creation of more freestanding birth centers
Responded to, and resolved, dozens of healthcare violations for trans people and women incarcerated in MA prisons to access gender-affirming care and reproductive care.