My opponent just cast a deciding vote to send an anti-choice judge to our Superior Courts. As your Governor’s Councilor, I never will.
MY OPPONENT JUST VOTED TO CONFIRM AN ANTI-CHOICE JUDGE
My opponent cast her vote to confirm anti-choice Claudine Cloutier as an Associate Justice of the Superior Court yesterday, saying "We need more people like her.”
No. We don’t. To confirm an anti-choice nominee for the Superior Court, when 1 in 4 minors in Massachusetts seeks the authorization of a Superior Court judge in order to have an abortion, is inexcusable. The Supreme Court has taken away the right to choose, and in Massachusetts we must do everything we can to uphold it.
Claudine Cloutier was repeatedly asked directly in her confirmation hearing whether she is pro-choice. “I need to know that you support a woman’s right to choose, as a judge,” said Councilor Eileen Duff. Cloutier refused to answer the question. Instead she said, “It’s hard for me to imagine under what scenario that would come before a Superior Court judge.”
But it’s not hard to imagine at all. In fact, it happens in Massachusetts all the time. Under our current law, youths 15 and younger must have the consent of a parent or adult guardian to obtain an abortion, and if they cannot get that they have only one remedy: authorization from a Superior Court judge. But my opponent’s vote to confirm an anti-choice judge can take that remedy away. No one should ever be forced to carry a pregnancy and give birth against their will or contrary to medical advice. Imagine being 15 years old, having to seek authorization from a Superior Court judge to have an abortion, and being told no because that judge does not support the right to choose. This should not be happening in Massachusetts.
My opponents actions are disqualifying, as they show that Marilyn Petitto Devaney does not support the right to choose. We can’t afford another term with an anti-choice Governor’s Councilor. As your Governor’s Councilor, I will make sure all nominees are pro-choice before I vote yes. We must protect the right to choose in all levels of government, and as your Governor's Councilor that is precisely what I will do.
I said at the beginning of this campaign that I would run a positive race based on what I bring to the office, and I am. But I have a responsibility to let voters know what the incumbent is doing as your Governor’s Councilor. Without her vote for an anti-choice nominee, the nomination would have failed. Instead, an anti-choice judge is headed to our Superior Courts.
Please make a generous donation today, so we have a Governor’s Councilor who will always, always, always protect the right to choose. I am 100% pro-choice and, before I vote yes, I will make sure all nominees are too.
Take care,
Mara Dolan, Candidate for Governor's Council, District 3
