I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself – my name is Maria, and I’m Maura’s Communications Director. I wanted to pop in and tell you why I joined this campaign.
Here’s something I wish everyone understood about Maura: there are very few people running for office right now who have done more for reproductive freedom. Long before she was a public figure, Maura was doing the work to protect our rights.
She investigated crisis pregnancy centers for deceiving their patients. She helped abortion providers get confidential license plates. She stood with Planned Parenthood and defended the harassment buffer zone – the very Planned Parenthood that I went to work for.
In my time at Planned Parenthood, we had some tough fights. President Trump gutted funding for reproductive care, dismantled protections for affordable birth control, and nominated an accused sexual predator to the Supreme Court. It seemed like each day brought a different crisis.
Every step of the way, Maura was there. She sued Trump for his illegal attacks on our care. She championed legislation to protect and expand access to birth control and abortion in Massachusetts. She did everything she could to stop this stacked Supreme Court from gutting Roe v. Wade. When Planned Parenthood patients needed help, we called Maura Healey.
But all the while, we knew what was coming. For decades, far-right extremists set their sights on the right to safe, legal abortion. And on June 24, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, their dream became our cold, terrifying reality.
I thought I would be ready for that moment, but I wasn’t. All those years of rallies and protests and planning did not prepare me for the sadness that washed over me that day. I felt betrayed, and I felt scared, and still do.
I thought about the women that came before me. Women who have had fewer choices and opportunities than I have, and how that shaped their lives. I thought about the women who will come after me. What happens when an entire generation is forced to have children when they don’t want to?
I think my biggest fear is complacency. I don’t want to settle for a world where it’s acceptable that women and LGBTQ+ people be denied medical care or have no say in whether they become parents. We can’t give up hope, even though we’re tired.
Which is why I’m with Maura. We need a Governor who has been doing the work before anyone could vote for her. And we need a Governor that will defend our rights if the Supreme Court and extremist politicians across the country won’t. That’s Maura.
I’m sure you’re getting fundraising emails from all kinds of great candidates around the country who are pledging to defend abortion rights right now. For me, the ballgame is with our Governors. So if you share my fears and my hopes – join me in supporting Maura.
Thank you for reading,
Maria
Team Healey