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Ed Markey on Abortion

Democratic Representative (MA-7)

 


Massachusetts should lead in protecting right to choose

Now is the time for Massachusetts "to be the leader in ensuring we put on the books" a women's right to choose, Markey said. "The decision has to be made by women," Markey said.
Source: Springfield Republican on 2020 Massachusetts Senate debate , Oct 6, 2020

Champion of woman's ability to make her own decisions

Congressman Markey is a strong proponent of ObamaCare, which ensures that preventive services: such as breast cancer screenings and contraception --are available free of charge.

Endorsed by NARAL, Ed is pro-choice and a strong champion of a woman's ability to make her own decisions about her reproductive health. He voted against the "Stupak Amendment," which would have denied women the ability to purchase private insurance plans that cover abortion services, even when using their own money. Ed believed this represented an unprecedented intrusion between a woman and her doctor, and he voted against it.

Ed is also a leading advocate for investing in research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prevent, treat, and cure diseases that affect women, including breast and lung cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression and Alzheimer's.

Source: Vote-USA.org on 2020 Massachusetts Senate race , Oct 23, 2014

Endorsed by Planned Parenthood; supports abortion rights

Markey repeatedly returned to two issue areas where he diverged from Gomez: his support for gun control measures that Gomez opposes and his support for abortion rights, which he juxtaposed with Gomez's professed personal opposition to abortion rights.

"You saw someone representing the oldest Republican ideas," Markey said in a scrum with reporters after the debate. "He obviously does not believe that a woman should have a right to choose." Gomez noted that he would not change any laws on the issue. "I couldn't be more clear: I'm not changing any law on abortion," he said to reporters after the debate.

During the forum, Markey noted that Planned Parenthood has endorsed him and emphasized

Source: Boston Globe on 2013 MA Senate debate , Jun 6, 2013

Litmus test for Supreme Court nominees on abortion

Gomez suggested he could support a waiting period for abortions. "I think asking somebody to wait 24 hours before they can actually go have an abortion is not asking a lot," he said.

Markey described himself as pro-choice: "I think the decision should be between the woman and her physician. That's it. The woman makes the decision, not some law that's imposed by politicians," he said.

Gomez also said he could vote for a Supreme Court nominee who is opposed to abortion. "If the judge comes in front of me and they follow the constitution and they're ethical and they're pro-choice and they've done a good job. I'll vote for them. If they're pro-life, I'll vote for them," he said. "There should be no litmus test."

Markey said there should be a litmus test when it comes to abortion. "I have a litmus test. I would not vote for a Supreme Court justice who would overturn Roe v. Wade," he said.

Source: Boston Herald on 2013 MA Senate debate , Jun 6, 2013

Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record.

Markey scores 100% by NARAL on pro-choice voting record

For over thirty years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been the political arm of the pro-choice movement and a strong advocate of reproductive freedom and choice. NARAL Pro-Choice America`s mission is to protect and preserve the right to choose while promoting policies and programs that improve women`s health and make abortion less necessary. NARAL Pro-Choice America works to educate Americans and officeholders about reproductive rights and health issues and elect pro-choice candidates at all levels of government. The NARAL ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization`s preferred position.

Source: NARAL website 03n-NARAL on Dec 31, 2003

Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance.

Markey scores 0% by the NRLC on abortion issues

OnTheIssues.org interprets the 2006 NRLC scores as follows:

About the NRLC (from their website, www.nrlc.org):

The ultimate goal of the National Right to Life Committee is to restore legal protection to innocent human life. The primary interest of the National Right to Life Committee and its members has been the abortion controversy; however, it is also concerned with related matters of medical ethics which relate to the right to life issues of euthanasia and infanticide. The Committee does not have a position on issues such as contraception, sex education, capital punishment, and national defense. The National Right to Life Committee was founded in 1973 in response to the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, legalizing the practice of human abortion in all 50 states, throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy.

The NRLC has been instrumental in achieving a number of legislative reforms at the national level, including a ban on non-therapeutic experimentation of unborn and newborn babies, a federal conscience clause guaranteeing medical personnel the right to refuse to participate in abortion procedures, and various amendments to appropriations bills which prohibit (or limit) the use of federal funds to subsidize or promote abortions in the United States and overseas.

In addition to maintaining a lobbying presence at the federal level, NRLC serves as a clearinghouse of information for its state affiliates and local chapters, its individual members, the press, and the public.

Source: NRLC website 06n-NRLC on Dec 31, 2006

Ban anti-abortion limitations on abortion services.

Markey co-sponsored Women's Health Protection Act

Congressional summary:: Women`s Health Protection Act: makes the following limitations concerning abortion services unlawful and prohibits their imposition or application by any government:

Opponent`s argument against (Live Action News): This is Roe v. Wade on steroids. The bill is problematic from the very beginning. Its first finding addresses `women`s ability to participate equally`; many have rejected this claim that women need abortion in order to be equal to men, or that they need to be like men at all. The sponsors of this pro-abortion bill also seem to feel that pro-life bills have had their time in this country, and that we must now turn back to abortion. The bill also demonstrates that its proponents have likely not even bothered attempting to understand the laws they are seeking to undo, considering that such laws are in place to regulate abortion in order to make it safer. Those who feel that abortion is best left up for the states to decide will also find this bill problematic with its overreach. Sadly, the bill also uses the Fourteenth Amendment to justify abortion, as the Supreme Court did, even though in actuality it would make much more sense to protect the lives of unborn Americans.

Source: H.R.3471 & S.1696 14-S1696 on Nov 13, 2013

Access safe, legal abortion without restrictions.

Markey co-sponsored S.217 & H.R.448

Congressional Summary: Congress finds the following:

Opponents reasons for voting NAY:(National Review, July 17, 2014): During hearings on S. 1696, Senators heard many myths from abortion proponents about the `need` for the bill`s evisceration of all life-affirming legislation.

Source: Women's Health Protection Act 15_S217 on Jan 21, 2015

Keep federal funding for family planning clinics.

Markey signed keeping federal funding for family planning clinics

Excerpts from Letter to the Senate Majority Leader from 46 Senators: The recent vote in the House to overturn rules protecting Title X health centers would deny women access to care. In 2015, Title X provided basic primary and preventive health care services such as pap tests, breast exams, and HIV testing to more than four million low-income women and men at over 4,000 health centers. In large part due to this work, the US unintended pregnancy rate is at a 30-year low, and rates of teenage pregnancy are the lowest in our nation`s history. The success of the program is dependent on funding. Family planning services, like those provided at Planned Parenthood and other family planning centers, should be available to all women, no matter where they live or how much money they make.

Opposing argument: (Heritage Foundation, `Disentangling the Data`): Planned Parenthood received approximately $60 million of taxpayer money under Title X, and $390 million through Medicaid. To ensure that taxpayers are not forced to subsidize America`s number one abortion provider, Congress should make Planned Parenthood affiliates ineligible to receive either Medicaid reimbursements or Title X grants if they continue to perform abortions. Taxpayer money from these programs should instead be redirected to the more than 9,000 federally qualified health center sites that provide comprehensive primary health care for those in need without entanglement in abortion.

Supporting argument: (ACLU, `Urging Title X`): Title X services help women & men to plan the number and timing of their pregnancies, thereby helping to prevent approximately one million unintended pregnancies, nearly half of which would end in abortion. However, current funding is inadequate. Had Title X funding kept up with inflation it would now be funded at nearly $700 million. We ask that Title X be funded at $375 million, which is $92 million above its current funding level.

Source: Letter to the Senate Majority Leader from 46 Senators 17LTR-TITX on Mar 1, 2017

Protect the reproductive rights of women.

Markey co-sponsored protecting the reproductive rights of women