In June 2022, the Supreme Court did what many believed was unthinkable for nearly half a century. By overturning Roe v. Wade, the conservative majority stripped American women of a cherished constitutional right and triggered the enactment of extreme abortion laws in states across the country.

Like the vast majority of Americans, I strongly believe that women should be able to make their own decisions about their own bodies and their own health care. I am committed to ensuring that reproductive health is – and always will be – a private matter between a woman and her doctor. I won’t stop fighting until the protections of Roe are enshrined in law.

It is shameful that women in America are still paid less than men for the same work. As a state representative, I cosponsored the 2013 Equal Pay Act, a bill that would have allowed women in the workforce to receive retroactive pay for up to two years and prohibited retaliation against employees seeking equal pay. In Congress, I am working to enact the Paycheck Fairness Act to eliminate gender-based wage discrimination and ensure that women in America receive equal pay for equal work.

I also championed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 (VAWA). This bill made critical improvements to programs and laws aimed at combating gender-based violence and included my legislation to expand access to care from sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE nurses) following sexual assault.

No parent should have to choose between putting food on the table and paying for quality care for their children. Unfortunately, the cost of child care is increasing at double the rate of inflation. This is a crisis that we cannot afford to ignore any longer. As the daughter of an early childhood education teacher, I know that outstanding, affordable child care is essential for the development and future success of the next generation. That’s why I’m a proud cosponsor of the Child Care for Working Families Act, legislation that will make child care affordable by ensuring that no middle class family in America pays more than seven percent of their income on child care.