Reproductive Justice
Introduction:
I believe every issue is a women’s issue, and women’s issues are human rights issues.
I also don’t think there is such a thing as a “feminist” — you’re either a person who believes in equal rights or you don’t.
Women — particularly women of color — are disproportionately struggling to make ends meet and support their families. This was true before the COVID-19 crisis, but has only been made more difficult in these times.
Here is what my Relief, Recovery, and Reform platform will accomplish:
RELIEF
Employment
As Governor, I will work to prohibit any and all employers from seeking and relying on a job applicants’ salary history, as some women who have been stay-at-home mothers will not have a salary that reflects their value and experience. This will ensure women finally get equal pay, for equal work.
Furthermore, my “Maryland Now Plan” will tangibly provide sustainable recovery for women and men across our state by making public transit free, eliminating the state income tax for 95% of Maryland workers (those who make less than $400K) and creating the nation’s first Guaranteed Jobs Program.
This plan will expand economic opportunities and inclusion for all Marylanders (including women); assist those who either have a job or need a job; help our climate; create hundreds of thousands of new jobs; reduce some of the racial injustices we face; and improve the daily lives of residents in every county across the state.
Reproductive Justice
- Enshrine essential healthcare services (like abortion care, contraceptive coverage and gender affirmation treatment) in our State Constitution
All women, girls, and other gender variant people — regardless of their zip code, identity or economic status — should have safe, affordable access to the healthcare they need.
- Direct our federally funded Medicaid to cover all essential healthcare services (like abortion care, contraceptive coverage and gender affirmation treatment)
This will ensure all our residents — especially in our low-income and rural communities — gain coverage for critical health services.
- Require all public schools to have comprehensive sex-ed in health classes
Students must learn about everything from abstinence to contraceptives, to period poverty, to domestic violence, to LGBTQ inclusion, gender identity and reproductive rights.
- Require all public schools to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms
If toilet paper can be free for all students, so should menstrual products. And while most of our school budgets cover these expenses, these products are often kept in the nurse’s offices. We need to, instead, make these available in the restrooms.
- Expand availability of medication abortion
Medication to induce an abortion is generally taken within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and considered very safe and less expensive than surgical abortion.
As such, we should ensure that pharmacists (who are the most accessible and affordable provider for residents in low-income and rural communities) keep stocks of mifepristone (one of two drugs used for medication abortion) on hand, and can dispense the medication with a prescription.
- Expand lactation accommodations for new mothers
Similar to what they achieved in Baltimore, we must ensure that — statewide — employers provide lactation accommodation for new mothers (i.e. a private lactation space that isn’t a closet, with a lockable door, place to sit, surface to place equipment and a fridge for storing breast milk).
RECOVERY
Equal Access to Child Care
Our current federal child care subsidy program, administered by the state, is designed to help low-income families pay for childcare. Unfortunately, Maryland’s current child care subsidy program has the lowest reimbursement rate in the country. In combination with the current lengthy waitlist, many Maryland parents cannot access or afford to pay for childcare.
For multiple years, working parents in Maryland had less access to child care assistance than those in most other states. There has been significant increases in federal funding but more needs to be done.
We must work to ease the financial burden of child care for families and providers in our state. One part to this solution — as mentioned in the Education Section — is making universal pre-k a reality for all our children. This would significantly reduce the cost of childcare, per child. I also believe we must expand eligibility requirements for the Working Parents Assistance (WPA) Program.
Increase access to STEM programs
Women and minority students are historically underrepresented in STEM educational programs and the workforce.
The gender gap in STEM is rooted in the educational system, where there are factors that perpetuate this.
- Gender Stereotypes: STEM fields are often viewed as masculine, and teachers and parents often underestimate girls’ math abilities starting as early as preschool.
- Male-Dominated Cultures: Because fewer women study and work in STEM, these fields tend to perpetuate inflexible, exclusionary, male-dominated cultures that are not supportive of or appealing to women and minorities.
- Fewer Role Models: Girls have fewer role models to inspire their interest in these fields, seeing limited examples of female scientists and engineers in books, media and popular culture. There are even fewer role models of Black women in math and science.
As such, I believe we must diversify the school curriculum to include STEM classes in all middle and high schools to achieve equitable opportunities.
We must also promote and expand mentoring programs and after-school STEM programs (such as coding camps and science fairs like “Girls Who Code”, “Girl Scouts of Maryland”, and “Exploring Engineering at the University of Maryland”)
REFORM
Sexual Harrassment
I served in the Obama White House when then Vice-President Biden launched the “It’s On Us” campaign to to educate students specifically on college campuses on sexual assault and destigmatize the conversation and issue. I’m happy that, now, the Biden Administration is reversing the Trump failure and finally expand the definition of sexual harrassment and expand the incidents schools can investigate.
As Maryland Governor, I would provide and ensure dedicated funding for nonprofits that address this issue in local communities, while also expanding access to social workers and mental health professionals within our education systems and our criminal justice system.
We must also ensure we provide free and confidential services in English and Spanish to survivors of sexual assault, including crisis counseling.
We also should have comprehensive sex education in all our public health classes — where students learn about everything from abstinence to contraceptives, to period poverty, to domestic violence, to LGBTQ inclusion, gender identity and reproductive rights.
Vacating Conviction Laws
In 2011, Maryland became the second state in the country to enact a “vacating convictions” law, which allows survivors of sex trafficking to vacate (set aside) their prostitution convictions.
However, our current law only allows for the vacatur of a prostitution conviction, not any other crime a survivor was forced to commit. We need to add these necessary provisions.
Spousal Abuse
The idea that rape or sexual assault, unwanted touching, forcible sex or anything else of that nature is okay because the parties are married is arcane and insulting.
Unfortunately, there are some laws in place that prevent the prosecution of a spouse committing these types of offenses against their partner. I believe we need to repeal these prohibitions.
