Reproductive Justice
Your Life. Your Body. Your Choice.
Reproductive Justice is more than access to abortion. It’s the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. This framework, first defined by women of color at SisterSong, has guided my work across Maryland, and will guide my fight in Congress.
The Basics
I’ll push for federal protections that guarantee abortion access across the country including both medication and procedural care. That means expanding contraception access through pharmacist prescribing, requiring insurance coverage for over-the-counter options, and making telehealth services available to reach people wherever they are.
As a mom who relied on Medicaid during pregnancy, I know how difficult it is when care runs out right when you need it most. I’ll fight for full postpartum coverage under the public plan, routine mental health screenings, and strong home- and community-based supports so every parent gets care before, during, and long after pregnancy.
The U.S. has the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world, and Black women are dying at three to four times the rate of our white peers. I’ll fight for real accountability in our health system including better data collection, implicit bias training, culturally competent care, and more investment in Black- and brown-led maternal health models. Birth should never be a death sentence.
Welcoming a child should come with stability and support, not lost wages or job insecurity. I’ll fight for at least 12 weeks of paid parental leave for all families birthing parents, fathers, adoptive parents, and anyone building family in their own way. Paid leave isn’t a perk. It’s a cornerstone of reproductive freedom, family health, and economic stability.
FAQs
Reproductive health is about the services we receive: contraception, prenatal care, abortion, and more. Reproductive rights are the legal protections that make sure we can access those services. Reproductive justice goes further. It’s the human right to bodily autonomy, to have children or not have children, and to raise our families in safe, sustainable communities. It’s the framework that makes sure health and rights are meaningful and equitable in practice, not just on paper.
People are delaying or forgoing children because the supports they need simply aren’t there, from healthcare and paid leave to affordable childcare and safe housing. Reproductive justice policies make it possible for families to thrive by ensuring care before, during, and after pregnancy, protecting parental leave, and investing in communities. When we give people real choices, families are more secure, and those who want children can raise them with the support needed to thrive.
These are immediate, concrete steps that Congress can and should act on right now. But reproductive justice is a bigger vision, one that ties into economic security, education, environmental safety, and more. My plan is to keep building toward that future, step by step, always centering the needs of people and families.
