Mermell Releases Reproductive Rights Agenda For Congressional Bid

BROOKLINE, MA — One of seven Democrat candidates vying to replace U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy in the 4th Congressional District seat, announced Monday her agenda on reproductive rights in an effort to distinguish herself from the rest of the pack.

Former Brookline Select Board member Jesse Mermell's plan includes making Roe v. Wade federal law, repealing the Hyde amendment, fully funding Title X and ending "the global gag rule."

This is the culmination of 20 years of championing reproductive rights, according to Mermell who is a former Planned Parenthood staffer.

"At a time when an extremist anti-choice movement is determined to decimate Roe v. Wade and upend our reproductive health system, and at a time when Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell have stacked the Supreme Court with conservative anti-choice justices, it is essential that we send candidates to Washington who will champion reproductive freedom," said Mermell in a statement.

Mermell’s plan outlines six legislative actions she said she plans to introduce "on day one" in Congress:

1. Codify Roe v. Wade in federal law to ensure Americans are protected in the event of a Supreme Court ruling that rolls back the rights and protections of Roe. This legislation must protect both the rights of providers and patients.

2. Repeal the Hyde Amendment to remove barriers to accessing care, particularly for low-income people and people of color.

3. Rescue Title X from the Trump Administration and fully fund the program. According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, there are three Crisis Pregnancy Centers in the Fourth District– in Attleboro, Fall River, and Taunton.

4. Keep federal money out of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, which are fake health centers that aim to prevent people considering abortion care from receiving that care.

5. Fund comprehensive sex education programs, such as the Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program.

6. End the global gag rule by supporting the Global Health, Empowerment, and Rights (HER) Act and seek to restore American leadership on free speech and women’s health throughout the world.

In October Mermell became the third Brookline resident to announce she was running, followed by Brookline's Dave Cavell. Ihssane Leckey of Brookline declared she was running in May, expecting to challenge Kennedy himself. On her heels, Khazei announced his decision to run in September. Newton City Councilors Becky Walker Grossman and Jake Auchincloss are also running in the race.

The Fourth Congressional District includes parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Worcester counties. Before Kennedy was elected in 2012, Barney Frank held the seat from 1981.

• Joe Kennedy Announces Run For Senate
• Leckey Of Brookline Runs For Congress
• Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss Announces Run
• Newton's Grossman Declares Run For Kennedy House Seat (Sept.24)
• Candidate For Congress Jesse Mermell: Civic Engagement Runs Deep (October)
• Dave Cavell, Another Brookline Resident Runs For Congress (Oct.19)
• Money Race: How Much 4th Congressional District Candidates Raised (Jan. 2020)

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).