Hi.  I am Dr. Deborah Oyer and I run Aurora Medical Services, a women’s health clinic in Seattle.  I am enthusiastically supporting Jay Inslee for governor.

Jay is strongly pro-choice and he has the record to prove it.  He believes in readily accessible health care for all residents of the state, rich or poor, whether it is care for heart disease or for family planning.  Jay’s opponent, Rob McKenna, legally challenged national efforts to make health care accessible to all Americans and supports restrictions on abortion rights.  The contrast is stark; we must unite behind Jay Inslee for governor of Washington.

Currently Washington State is touted as the best state in which to get reproductive health care.  The state laws are heavily in favor of women’s rights.   Our state trusts women, along with their health care providers, to make the right decisions for themselves.  As a result we have no arduous informed consent laws, waiting periods or parental notification laws. We fund contraceptive services for low-income women.  Our voters and politicians should be commended for the current availability of services.  Jay strongly supports Washington’s leadership role on reproductive rights.

However, if Jay does not win as governor this fall we cannot expect to maintain the current level of broad accessibility and excellent care.  Jay’s opponent supports many more barriers to reproductive health care than currently exist in Washington State.  Each time politicians vote for barriers to care, they are in essence saying that they don’t trust women to make their own choices.  As a woman, I want a governor who believes women are smart enough to make their own decisions.  That candidate is Jay Inslee.

We must not take our state’s reproductive rights for granted. Four years ago President Obama selected two very pro-choice governors to join his cabinet. These two governors were replaced by politicians who do not favor reproductive justice for women.  There has been an enormous shift in both states towards more barriers and fewer freedoms for pregnant women.  I fear that could happen here if Jay Inslee does not become our next governor.

Jay Inslee will fight to guarantee that all citizens of Washington continue to have access to a full range of reproductive services, and to preserve funding for such services.  It is essential that our community takes a strong stand in this race.  Jay Inslee shares our values, while Republican Rob McKenna’s policies would turn back the clock on reproductive rights.

Please vote for Jay Inslee for governor.  He is the only pro-choice candidate in this race.

– Dr. Deborah Oyer