Issue Position: Women's Rights/Right to Choose

Issue Position

Dave has been a leader on women's rights generally, and choice specifically. He is proud to have the endorsement of Planned Parenthood Massachusetts and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts for having been a key leader on reproductive rights and choice. In fact, in their most recent "Legislators Scorecard", Dave received the highest possible ranking of any legislator along with one or two others. Dave offered to be, and was under consideration to be the lead sponsor of the ROE Act which will 1) modernize our current laws by codifying the right to choose here in Massachusetts; 2) expand access to abortion for those who don't have health insurance or whose health insurance is excluded from coverage by establishing safety net coverage for abortion care; and 3) remove unnecessary legal barriers that delay and deny access to reproductive health care, by removing mandatory parental approval for those below 18 and allowing for cases of a fatal fetal diagnosis. It will also eliminate restrictions like the currently legal but largely unenforced 24-hour waiting period between counseling and abortions. In his district, Dave has been the featured speaker at events promoting passage of the ROE Act. He also attended the key hearing to stand in support of the ROE Act, and has pressed the case for action in meetings with his colleagues who are senior leaders of the body. He is committed to helping lead the fight for the passage of this vital Act, in the strongest possible form.

Additionally the bill Dave authored and passed, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, creates a major new right to prevent pregnancy discrimination which has been identified as one of the biggest remaining obstacles to women's equality. He also cosponsored the Pay Equity Act, an important new law here in the Commonwealth, and supported the ACCESS Bill, which requires coverage of all FDA approved contraceptives with no consumer cost sharing.

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