I am proudly and loudly a pro-choice Democrat. I sponsored the Reproductive Parity Act in the State Senate, which required all insurance plans in Washington that cover maternity care also cover abortions. It was the top priority for Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington across multiple legislative sessions. I helped ensure it made its way through a complicated legislative process and was signed into law by the Governor.
A Planned Parenthood representative said, “The Reproductive Parity Act is a big step for Washington state, and one we are pleased to see move forward after so many years. Senators stood strong and fought back against harmful amendments to ensure that no woman’s pregnancy decision is affected by an inability to pay for care.”
But does my long and documented history of support for reproductive rights matter in the position of Secretary of State? Does it matter in a campaign for city council or mayor? I ask because my Republican opponent believes very strongly that it does. Here he is, photographed in the Spokesman-Review just last year, making that point.
In 2023, as the leader of conservative Christian nonprofit We Believe, We Vote, Dale Whitaker told the Spokesman-Review: “We want to raise up candidates that align with our values. All we want is to have a moral and just society.”
We Believe, We Vote’s website states, “The duty of civil government is the protection of innocent human life from conception until natural death” and that “Only marriage between one man and one woman should be protected by civil government because it is the optimal environment for raising children, it is the cornerstone of every other societal institution, it strengthens the social and economic stability of the nation, and it reinforces the God-given, timeless role and priority of the family unit.”
I disagree with you, Dale. I believe in every woman’s right to choose, and I believe in any loving couple’s right to marry.
Steve
By the way, here I am speaking with abortion rights advocates during my years in the State Senate…
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