Universal Reproductive Agency & Access to Life-Saving Care
Guaranteed universal access to pregnancy-related medical care to protect the life, long-term health, and general welfare of an expecting mother during a pregnancy successfully carried to term or in the event of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, non-viable fetus, or any other medical condition that puts life or long-term health of the expecting mother at risk.
The state government shall not interfere with and where necessary actively take measures to ensure that each expectant mother has the ability to make informed decisions with the support of trained medical professionals about their personal health risks and the likely potential outcomes for the unborn fetus during the course of a pregnancy and then receive the desired medical care at a reasonable cost, in a timely manner, and at a convenient location.
Aside from the scenarios of rape, incest, and safety of the expectant mother described above, taxpayers should not be under an obligation to fund individual reproductive medical procedures and care. However, where possible the state government should, regardless of federal policy, take steps to safeguard the general availability in the market of information, equipment, and supplies that enable trained medical professionals to safely administer and/or prescribe the appropriate care, medicines, devices, or other means of supporting couples and individuals as they make the personal decisions about having or not having children, including but not limited to: birth control and prophylactics, pre-exposure prophylaxis, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, in vitro-fertilization, pre- and post-natal vitamins, and chemical and physical abortion services.
Related Constituent Question:
What is your position on abortion?
I strongly believe in defending reproductive agency, which I describe in more detail above. In short, I believe that it is completely necessary and appropriate for the state government to ensure that the best-known reproductive healthcare techniques can be practiced within Massachusetts, which will necessarily include access to safe medical abortions.