WOMENS' ISSUES
Choice
Luckily, here in Maryland, the right to choice and reproductive freedom is protected. In 2023, Governor Moore signed into law the most historic reproductive freedom legislation that protects women’s reproductive rights In Maryland. Some of the bills include:
- S.B. 798, Declaration of Rights - Right to Reproductive Freedom: "establishes that every person, as a central component of an individual's rights to liberty and equality, has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom."
- S.B. 859, Reproductive Health Protection Act: "prohibits a judge from requiring a person to give certain testimony or a statement or to produce evidence in another state for a case involving an alleged violation of the criminal law of the other state relating to legally protected health care."
- S.B. 786, Health - Reproductive Health Services - Protected Information and Insurance Requirements: "regulates the disclosure of certain information related to legally protected health care by custodians of public records, health information exchanges, and electronic health networks; requiring that the regulations adopted by the Maryland Health Care Commission regarding clinical information to be exchanged through the state."
Choice for minors follows Maryland's Parental Notification for Abortion Law which requires that one parent or guardian be notified before a minor has an abortion, with exceptions.
Consent
Consent is freely given, reversible, informed, enthusiastic, and specific (Planned Parenthood, 2023). In Maryland, the age of consent is 16 years old. According to Planned Parenthood, "women (especially women of color), LGBT identified people, and people with developmental disabilities are more likely to experience sexual assault over the course of their lifetimes". The following are facts from MCASA (2022) about sexual assault in Maryland:
- 19% of all women in Maryland (457,000 adult women) have experienced some form of completed or attempted rape in their lifetime.
- About 44% of Maryland’s women (1,058,000), and more than 23% of Maryland’s men (520,800), have experienced other forms of sexual violence.
- In 2017, the most rape reports were in: Baltimore County, Baltimore City, and Montgomery County.
Sources:
Child Care
With mothers returning to the workforce in record numbers, finding affordable child care is more difficult than ever. The average cost of full-time child care centers for infants in Maryland is $237.59 per week, which is $950/month, and the average cost of full time child care centers for infants in Baltimore County is $231.92/week (Maryland Child Care Market Rate Survey, 2019). That cost is outrageous and not an option for many families. Unfortunately, the brunt and majority of child care is the responsibility of the mother. Therefore, in families that cannot afford child care, the mother might have to forego her career to be the sole caretaker of the children. Mothers need affordable child care that they know will provide a safe and enriching environment for their children.
Source:
Maryland Child Care Market Rate Survey. (2019). Maryland State Department of Education.
Domestic Violence
Everyone deserves relationships free from domestic violence.
Housing
Everyone deserves access to affordable housing.
Hunger
1 in 3 Marylanders faces food insecurity. Hunger impacts someone that you know.
Women Veterans
They served our country, now it's time we take care of them.