“Women’s health should be decided and controlled by women, not by legislation.”

Kipp Diggs

Our leadership team met with Kip Diggs (via Zoom) and we are excited to endorse Kip Diggs for State Representative for 2nd Barnstable District.

Kip will be an ally for women and families, and understands and supports the issues important to us.

On The Roe Act

Kip fully supports the ROE Act which will protect women’s reproductive rights in MA should the US Supreme Court chip away at, or overturn ROE v. Wade.

Kipp told us that women faced with difficult decisions should not have interference from Federal or State laws. He was surprised that the bill was still stuck in committee and has not been moved to the floor for a vote. Like us, he is disappointed that his opponent has not supported this bill and used his position to urge that it be voted out of committee:

These are private decisions made by women with their doctors. The ROE Act should have been moved out of committee and voted by now, especially as Roe v. Wade may face it’s toughest challenges yet in the US Supreme Court. When I am your Representative, I will work to get this bill to the floor for a vote and will vote for it. Women’s health should be decided and controlled by women, not by legislation.

On Child Marriage

We have supported and advocated for an Act to End Child Marriage for several legislative sessions. This legislation would establish a minimum age for marriage in Massachusetts. Currently, MA is one of only a few states where, with a parent’s permission, a child of any age can marry. Marrying young deprives young women of reaching their full potential and often means a girl is marrying an older man. The Senate debated, made amendments and passed this legislation, but the House has yet to vote on it.

Kip agrees that this bill needs to be voted on in the House, and again, cannot understand his opponents reluctance to sign on as a cosponsor and help move this bill to the floor and support it, for two sessions now.

Young women should not have to lose their potential because the adults controlling their lives are pushing them into marriage. I will not sit back and wait, I will work to get this to the floor of the House for a vote.

On The Healthy Youth Act

The Healthy Youth Act would establish a standard and inclusive sexual education curriculum for schools who have decided to offer sexual education, it ensures districts that offer sex education teach age-appropriate, medically accurate information, including teaching consent, the benefits of delaying sex, how to build healthy relationships, and how to prevent pregnancy and STDs when people do have sex. It would require the curricula used to be LGBT-inclusive and would continue to allow parents and guardians to take their children out of school-based sex education.

We have supported The Healthy Youth Act in past sessions, and this session it remains in committee, we are hopeful it will be voted out of committee and will be put on the floor of the House and Senate for a vote. We need a State Representative in the 2nd Barnstable District who will do the work to get legislation voted on and passed.

Kip Diggs believes this bill should get a vote, and he will support it:

I would support the Healthy Youth Act and work to see it passed. If a young person is being taught sex education, all of the facts should be part those classes. Parents can take say no if they don’t want their kids to take these classes, but with all the things kids can access on social media, everything they learn in classes should be based in fact, geared to their age, and inclusive.

 

Kip Diggs will be a refreshing change! We need a Representative in the Second Barnstable district who will work for women and young people and not back away from the effort needed to pass important legislation. We need to move away from the legislators who want to laws for women, about their health. Women and their doctors are capable of making the right decisions.

We need representatives who understand the needs of today’s women and young people.

Cape Cod needs Kip Diggs!

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We recently consulted with leaders from our national group and learned that we can endorse state candidates if we follow protocol. All candidates were offered a questionnaire, have responded to our requests to support legislation and, or have actually met with our leadership.