I earned a 100% candidate rating from Planned Parenthood Empire State Acts and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund; Senator Tedisco earned their lowest rating: 0%. As someone who’s been pregnant and given birth, who’s managed my own reproductive health in consultation with my doctors my entire adult life, and as a public-interest attorney who’s seen first-hand the devastating outcomes when politicians and abusers use forced pregnancy to control women, I am an adamant supporter of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.

Passing the New York Health Act would be one of my top priorities as your State Senator. The New York Health Act would establish a single-payer, universal healthcare system across New York, guaranteeing healthcare for every New Yorker. It would eliminate premiums, deductibles, co-pays, and prescription drug costs; and it would expand coverage to include dental, vision, mental health, and much more. It would allow us all to seek care from providers we choose, rather than having to stay “in-network.”

And while we keep pushing for a universal, single-payer healthcare system, there are immediate steps we can take, like proposals to cap excessive hospital billing and bring down out-of-pocket costs for everyday care. We also need to invest in the people holding the system together: our nurses, EMS workers, and rural providers — because access doesn’t mean much if there’s no one there to provide care.