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CAMBRIDGE – As the
Special election race for the Middlesex, Suffolk, Essex Senate seat
picks up momentum, Jeff Ross, who announced his candidacy last week,
has been meeting daily with hundreds of supporters and community
members to discuss the issues that concern them in the wake of the
Independence Day. “There are 67 days left until the primary
election,” said Ross. “There is no better time to focus on
women’s independence than today.” Mr. Ross has a long
history of involvement in supporting women’s right to choose. He
worked hard to help get the first two women U.S. Senators elected in
California. “We made history that year back in 1992,” said Ross.
He then spent a year with U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein on Capitol
Hill when she was a freshman senator.
“Independence means having the opportunity
to make one’s own responsible decisions.” Mr. Ross has made women’s
right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of
reproductive choices a central theme of his campaign. “I am appalled
at the recent Supreme Court decision, where a group of men took it
upon themselves to change the rules and the only female justice
dissented,” said Ross. He has vowed to ensure that choice remains
safe in Massachusetts. Mr. Ross will work hard to ensure safety of
those seeking access to clinics by expanding the buffer zone. Because
comprehensive education is the key to making responsible choices, Mr.
Ross supports the Act to Provide Health Education in Schools.
“Abortion should be made less necessary, not more difficult and
dangerous. Prevention is the key.”
Mr. Ross understands that women's
reproductive independence is about much more than abortion. That is
why he supports expanding the availability of the Plan B
contraceptive. In 2005, Massachusetts became the 8th state to offer
increased access to Emergency Contraception (EC) at pharmacies and
emergency rooms over a veto by Mitt Romney. The bill allows
pharmacists to dispense emergency contraception, through a
collaborative agreement with a physician. EC has tremendous untapped
potential for reducing unintended pregnancy. Unfortunately,
availability of the Plan B contraceptive is still restricted for most
women, especially minors. “The policy subjects girls to bigger
hurdles and solidifies the message that motherhood is their punishment
for sex,” said Ross. Leading medical organizations, including the
American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association and the
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists agree that access
to Plan B should not be restricted by age. “The Plan B contraceptive
should be available to everyone, just as condoms are available to
everyone.” If elected, Mr. Ross will submit a bill to require that
Plan B be taken out from behind the pharmacist's counter and put right
on the shelf with condoms and aspirin -- where it belongs. That bill
will also include funding for a public education campaign to let women
know of this step toward having the opportunity to make their own
responsible decisions. “The government has no business interfering in
our private lives, and as your senator, I will protect your privacy,
making sure that you get to make your own decisions. I will
always fight for your personal independence,” said Ross, speaking to
his supporters in Cambridge. |
