Defending Trans Rights

I firmly believe in the right of every individual, regardless of gender identity, to live their lives with dignity, privacy, and freedom. Defending the rights of transgender individuals, particularly trans youth, is essential to ensuring that everyone can access the healthcare they need without fear of discrimination or governmental intrusion.

Central to my commitment to trans rights is the protection of the relationship between transgender individuals and their healthcare providers. Decisions about medical care should be made privately between patients and their doctors, free from political interference. This is especially critical for trans youth, who deserve to have their healthcare decisions guided by medical professionals and supported by their families—not dictated by politicians.

I will fight against legislation that seeks to undermine the privacy and autonomy of transgender people, particularly in their healthcare choices. I will also advocate for stronger legal protections to ensure that trans individuals have equal access to healthcare, employment, housing, and education. Everyone deserves the right to live authentically and safely, and that includes respecting the confidentiality and integrity of the doctor-patient relationship.

Addressing Rising Prescription Drug Costs

The rising cost of prescription drugs is a pressing issue that impacts millions of Americans, particularly our seniors and vulnerable populations. To address this, I support the critical measures introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act, which include capping the cost of insulin for seniors at $35 a month, cracking down on hidden junk fees, and providing free vaccines for illnesses such as shingles and RSV. Additionally, giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices, capping the cost of inhalers at $35, and ensuring drug companies pay back consumers if they raise prices more than inflation are essential steps towards making medications more affordable and accessible. These measures are designed to protect patients from financial hardship and ensure that life-saving medications are within reach for everyone.

Furthermore, the Inflation Reduction Act also tackles the manipulation of the prescription drug patent system, which keeps prices artificially high, and introduces a cap on annual out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 starting next year. These provisions are long overdue and provide much-needed relief to patients who struggle with the burden of high medication costs. By supporting these initiatives, I am committed to promoting fairness in healthcare, holding drug companies accountable, and ensuring that every American has access to the medications they need without facing financial ruin.

Drug Price Negotiations

I firmly support lifting the ban on Medicare drug price negotiations and advocate for extending this capability to cover all Americans, including the uninsured. It is unacceptable that in the United States, a country at the forefront of medical innovation, our citizens are forced to pay some of the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.

Currently, Medicare, which serves millions of our seniors and disabled individuals, is prohibited by law from negotiating drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies. This policy has long favored the pharmaceutical industry at the expense of our citizens. It’s time for this to change. I believe that by empowering Medicare to negotiate drug prices, we can leverage the purchasing power of the government to secure lower prices, not just for Medicare beneficiaries, but for every American, including those without insurance.

This position isn’t just about reducing costs; it’s about expanding access to essential medications for all, ensuring no one has to choose between filling a prescription and paying for other basic necessities. It’s about fairness, equity, and the basic health security of our people.

I will push for legislation that removes the current barriers to Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices. Furthermore, I will work to ensure that these negotiated prices are available to every American, providing immediate relief to millions currently struggling with high drug costs. This policy will not only help in reducing our national healthcare expenditure but also ensure that healthcare in America is a right, not a privilege dictated by economic status.

Protect & Expand Medicare

While I champion Medicare for All as the model for our ultimate goal, I’m dedicated to immediate enhancements to Medicare. This includes expanding coverage to include essential vision and hearing services, lowering the eligibility age to 60, and ensuring Medicare has the power to negotiate lower drug prices.

Universal Healthcare

I firmly believe that healthcare is a fundamental human right, not a privilege reserved for the few. Every individual, regardless of their socio-economic status, deserves access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services. As your representative, I am committed to advocating for policies that ensure universal healthcare access, recognizing that a healthy society is the cornerstone of our collective success. Ensuring that every person can receive the medical care they need without the fear of financial ruin is not just a policy goal—it’s a moral imperative that reflects our values as a compassionate, equitable community.

Abortion

The right of a woman to make decisions about her own body is foundational to her autonomy and dignity. The overturning of Roe v. Wade was a significant setback in the fight for women’s rights, one that I, along with many others, deeply mourned. As someone who has never faced the unique challenges and decisions women confront in matters of reproductive health, I recognize that it is not my place, nor the place of any legislator, to impose draconian restrictions on a woman’s right to choose.

In Congress, I pledge to be a steadfast defender of women’s reproductive rights, understanding that this issue encompasses far more than the right to abortion. It’s about ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including contraception, which is fundamental to the health and well-being of women and families across our nation.

I promise to fight against any efforts to criminalize contraception—an alarming trend that threatens to further erode women’s rights and autonomy. Contraception is a basic healthcare necessity and a private matter, but let’s be honest: it’s mutually beneficial. What are we doing here? Criminalizing or restricting access to contraception not only undermines women’s health and freedoms, but also represents a regressive step away from informed, modern healthcare.

Furthermore, I commit to advocating for policies that support women’s comprehensive healthcare needs, including access to safe and legal abortion, affordable contraception, and reproductive health services. This includes opposing legislation that seeks to diminish these rights and working to introduce measures that protect and expand them. I am also in support of protecting a woman’s right to choose by way of a constitutional amendment, if necessary.

Look, anyone who tells you that their position on abortion was an easy one to take is either uninformed or lying. Whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, the very real and high stakes women facing these situations are confronting is hard to comprehend. I’m not pro-choice because I’m pro-abortion (I’m not). Like anyone who isn’t a psychopath, I don’t like abortions. I don’t know anyone who celebrates abortions or thinks they’re awesome. I’m pro-choice because I’m pro-woman. I trust that in those situations, women and their families and their medical teams will make the most informed, sound decisions.