Issue Position: Women and Girls

Issue Position

Introduction

When I began my first campaign for the Boston City Council, I made advocacy on behalf of women and girls a central element of my platform. Many people told me that a campaign focused largely on lifting up women and girls couldn't succeed, but it did, and eight years later, the City of Boston has made important progress on issues of critical importance. Now, more than ever, the 7th District needs a representative in Congress who is steadfastly committed to highlighting the role women and girls play in our communities, addressing the inequities they continue to face, and resisting efforts to roll back critical protections for women's health and civil rights.

As a member of the City Council, I founded - and continue to chair - the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities. My colleagues and I have the opportunity to listen to women and girls in our community and work on the issues impacting their lives. Their voices are the reason I have worked with young women and school officials to address the discipline policies that lead to disproportionate push out of young women of color; they are the reason I have shared my own experience and worked with survivors of sexual violence to heal and create awareness; it is why I have fought for the intentional inclusion of women in City of Boston contracting; and why I have supported the repeal of archaic statues that impinge on a woman's right to choose.

We must resist, with everything we have, efforts to roll back critical protections like those enshrined in Roe v. Wade, but if we want to build thriving communities and achieve real equality, we must apply the same passion to closing the wage gap, ensuring equal educational opportunity, supporting expecting and new mothers, providing gender-responsive conditions for female inmates, and empowering senior women to age as they wish. That is why it is so important to have an intentional, activist leader in Washington, D.C. who sees these issues as central and work diligently with community to identify the key levers of progress.

Policy Priorities

Empowering & Advancing Women's Economic Opportunities

Make Equal Pay for Equal Work a Reality. In Massachusetts, women earn 76 cents on the dollar compared to what white men earn. For black and Latino women, the difference is even larger. Individually, states like Massachusetts and New York have had some success in passing legislation to close the pay gap, but impact of pay inequity has lasting impacts on women's economic security particularly as more women are becoming the sole or primary source of household income. In the 7th, the wage gap cost women workers more than $11,000 a year. In Congress, I will not only support and work to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act but will push to ensure our efforts to achieve equal pay also include reducing disparities in pay across race/ethnicity.
Fight for a Living Wage. Millennials, working families, and seniors in the 7th have struggled with rising inequality and stagnant or falling wages for some time. The effects of which have made rent, childcare, doctor's visits, and student loan debt harder for working people to afford. Despite increasing levels of experience and education attainment, women comprise a disproportionate number of low-level, low-wage jobs (or jobs that pay under $11 per hour). In fact, women are overrepresented in low wage jobs compared to their In over a decade, the federal minimum has not changed despite rising costs across the board. In Congress, I will co-sponsor the Raise the Wage Act to increase the national minimum wage to $15 and index it to inflation so that it rises automatically with the cost of living.
Pass Paid Leave. It is long overdue for the US to join every other industrialized nation in providing protected paid leave for its working people and families. Women (who make up the vast majority of primary caretakers) account for nearly half of the US labor force, yet only 15 percent of workers overall have access to paid leave, and that percentage is even lower for workers in minimum wage jobs. This year, Massachusetts joined New York, California and a handful of other states in passing paid family leave ─ it's high time for the rest of the nation to catch up. In Congress, I will sponsor the FAMILY Act, to extend FMLA to all working people to cover caregiving needs beyond maternity leave. National paid leave is a win-win for working people and businesses ─ it will save employer's otherwise lost revenue while also providing a critical safety net during unexpected life events.
Expand access to quality, affordable child care. Massachusetts has one of the highest childcare costs in the nation (second only to Washington, DC). For many families and working parents, sending an infant to daycare has become akin to in-state tuition at a public college. With more women in the labor force than ever before, we need to make high-quality childcare affordable and accessible to more families. In Congress, I will fight to raise the income eligibility threshold to cover more middle class families, fund an Early Education and Childcare (EEC) innovation fund to better meet the needs of families with nonstandard work hours, and incentives for businesses and colleges to improve onsite childcare opportunities for working parents and nontraditional students.
Support Women and Minority Owned Businesses. Women-owned businesses account for 39 percent of US firms, of which women of color make up nearly half. Reporting shows that due to factors like higher rates of unemployment, greater pay gaps, and longer bouts of unemployment women of color are often left with no choice but to branch out on their own. As a City Councilor, I have worked to support Minority and Women Business Enterprises and will continue champion these efforts in Congress. I will support expanding set-asides contracts for MWBEs through the Small Business Association office, require annual reports to Congress on federal contract awardees, increase opportunities for capital and wealth building for MWBEs, and offer resources and supports for women and minority business owners. We need to support the needs of women and minority business owners to ensure that more of them have access to start not only start businesses, but to succeed.
Preventing Violence Against Women

Protect the Rights of Women and Girl Worldwide. I have always prioritized efforts to support women, families, and those in vulnerable communities and I will take the same approach to when it comes to foreign affairs. I believe the US has a clear role to play on the world stage, its most important being the power to convene. A policy built on forced isolationism and the scaling back our international commitment is in direct contrast with our principles. As I have said from the beginning of this campaign, the solutions live with the people most impacted by these policies. In Congress, I would focus on global issues affecting women and girls, support increase funding for foreign aid, and work to engage our allies and partners abroad. By embracing our mission to protect the dignity and human rights, we will help to improve the lives of women, children, and families, globally ─ while protecting US interests in the long run.
Create and fund a "Survivors Bill of Rights" for all individuals experiencing trauma. The Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights provides critical protections for survivors of rape and other sexual violence. I believe we should build on this concept to create statutory rights for all individuals experiencing trauma, whether that trauma stems from abuse, neglect, fear of deportation, displacement, violence, incarceration or addiction. Left unaddressed, trauma perpetuates cycles of violence, poverty, and other negative outcomes. Survivors should be proactively informed of their rights and connected with available resources, including through dedicated trauma coordinators - support should not be contingent on survivors' ability to navigate complex systems. In Congress, I will work with survivors, advocates, and community organizations to develop legislation that safeguards the rights of all survivors.
Prevent Campus Sexual Assault. In 2011, the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights issued guidance "that spelled out for colleges their responsibility to respond promptly and equitably to reports of sexual violence." However, in September 2017, the Trump Administration rescinded these critical guidelines - threatening justice for victims of sexual violence on campus. In Congress, I will co-sponsor the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which would codify requirements for colleges and universities to respond quickly to reports of sexual violence, support survivors, and keep accurate records of sexual violence incidents on campus.
Support Paid Safe Days. In Congress, I would co-sponsor the Healthy Families Act to set national standards for sick leave and to provide job-protected "safe days" to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Under this legislation, paid safe days would provide time for survivors to recover from or seek assistance related to violence, including legal, medical, and psychological issues that stem from abuse. Too often, survivors of violence must choose between their job and their safety, making it much less likely that they will get the help they need. I would also push to include survivors of human trafficking as a part of the proposed legislation and extend coverage to "chosen family" or family-like relationships absent a legal or biological relative.
Ensure legal protections in housing for survivors of domestic violence. Current housing protections under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) only apply to domestic violence and sexual assault survivors living in public housing. I would advocate for expanding those protectections to the private housing market as well by amending the Fair Housing Act, and I would support the Fair Housing for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors Act of 2017, which prohibits landlords from discriminating against survivors. To heal, survivors of domestic and sexual violence need access to basic necessities, including housing.
Protect the rights of survivors of human trafficking. In Congress, I would co-sponsor the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017 which would allow victims of human trafficking to petition courts to have their criminal records cleared. Millions of individuals in the US and abroad have fallen victim to this modern-day form of slavery, consisting of sex exploitation and human trafficking. As a result, survivors are often charged with crimes like conspiracy, prostitution, money laundering, drug trafficking, or related offenses, making it hard for them to find jobs and housing. I believe that survivors should be freed from further criminalization and would support efforts to fairly and equitably protect the rights and needs of all trafficking survivors.
Protecting & Improving Women's Health

Address Black Maternal Mortality. As your representative in Congress, I would co-sponsor the MOMMA Act, which seeks to address the rising rate of black maternal mortality in the US. The legislation would standardized obstetric care protocols, create better data collection systems, and would extend Medicaid coverage for new moms up to one year after giving birth. I would also support amendments, like those proposed by Sen. Harris, to promote culturally competent care and provide grants to support implicit bias training in medical, nursing, and other allied health education programs.
Promote Holistic Care Models. Doulas, midwives, lactation counselors and paraprofessionals are an underutilized yet growing force in maternal health care. In Congress, I will work to expand access to alternative birthing options, including licensure for doulas, standards for midwives, improvement in postpartum mental health services, resources to reduce disparities in breastfeeding, and the consistent coverage of holistic care by public and private insurance plans.
Repeal the Hyde Amendment and Protect a Woman's Right to Choose. The prohibition on the use of federal funds to pay for abortion services disproportionately impacts low-income women, women of color, immigrants, and young people who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage. In Congress, I will continue to be a fierce advocate for reproductive rights, and push to repeal this ban.
Fund Effective Programs for Addressing Teen Pregnancy. I will fight the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate funding for evidence-based programs like the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP), which "many medical professionals credit with helping to drive the nation's teen pregnancy rate to an all-time low." These programs have a real and tangible impact here in the 7th District; the potential loss of federal funding through TPP has forced the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy to close its doors at the end of June. We should be doubling down on funding for these critical, effective programs, not cutting it.
Protect Women's Right to Access Information. I will vehemently oppose any cuts in funding or requirements that restrict a women's right to access important information about her healthcare, including information about safe, legal abortions. In Congress, I will protect Title X funding for all family planning centers, including Planned Parenthood. I will support the Women's Health Protection Act to prohibit restrictive state and federal laws that interfere with reproductive health care services for women, including laws that prevent crisis pregnancy centers operating as comprehensive health care clinics from offering comprehensive information on the full range of health care options available to expectant mothers.
Advance gender-informed approaches. Women are the fastest growing population of inmates. A majority of incarcerated women are mothers and are the primary caretakers of one or more dependent children. In Congress, I will support legislation to adopt gender-responsive and trauma-informed approaches that address the specific needs of incarcerated women (e.g., family visitation, reproductive and behavioral health care, pretrial services and programming, among others), reduce harm to families, maximize rehabilitation, reunification, and ultimately, successful reentry into the community.
Promoting Girls' Learning & Education

Disrupt School-to-Prison Pipeline. Gender and race stereotypes, as well as overly harsh discipline practices, play a significant role in girls' dropout rates, and can lead to involvement with the juvenile justice system. Black and Latinx girls nationally are six times more likely to be suspended from school than their white counterparts, whereas in Boston, girls of color are nearly 11 times more likely to face suspension. When the education of girls is interrupted, there are startling, lifelong ramifications for them, their families, and the community as a whole. In Congress, I will push to improve school discipline policies and codify requirements for the U.S. Department of Education to collect and share best practices so that school districts can develop and equitably implement culturally-competent and gender-informed policies.
Support Comprehensive Sexual Health Education. On the Boston City Council, I have been a champion for providing comprehensive sexual health education in public schools - we cannot be focused solely on abstinence-only education, which has been proven ineffective. In Congress, I will continue to fight for equitable access to sexual health education that is inclusive of LGBTQ+ youth, medically accurate, and promotes healthy relationships. As part of my advocacy, I will co-sponsor the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee, which would "provide grants for comprehensive sex education to public or private entities that focus on adolescent health and education or have experience with training sex educators."
Promote access to STEM programming. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education prepares students for careers in the rapidly-growing industries that are driving our economy. However, women and communities of color remain significantly underrepresented in STEM industries, often because schools lack the resources to offer high-quality programming or individuals are not encouraged to pursue STEM subjects. Congress, I will co-sponsor the 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act, which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to provide grants to local educational agencies for the development of programs aimed at increasing STEM participation among girls and underrepresented minorities.

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