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Friday, March 29, 2024

From the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund, June 29, 2016: State Rep. Tim Toomey has been endorsed for reelection to the 26th Middlesex District seat of the state’s House of Representatives by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund. The fund is the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and is working to elect dedicated sexual and reproductive health advocates to the Legislature.

“As a member of the Cambridge School Committee, City Council and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Rep. Toomey has prioritized the health of his district by advocating for comprehensive sexuality education, accessible contraception and family planning services. His commitment to expanding educational resources and access to preventive care is essential for improving sexual and reproductive health in Cambridge and in communities across the commonwealth,” said Jennifer Childs-Roshak, the fund’s president.

Toomey has represented the 26th Middlesex District, which encompasses parts of Cambridge and Somerville, since 1993. The Democratic primary election is Sept. 8.

“Over the course of his more than two decades in office, Rep. Toomey has been a leader when it comes to comprehensive sexuality education and has a long record of supporting policies that are intrinsic to our mission to protect and promote sexual and reproductive health,” Childs-Roshak said.

As a School Committee member, Toomey helped establish a teen health center at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and a sexuality education program that is still used by the city’s schools more than 30 years later. As a state lawmaker, Toomey has continued his advocacy for greater access to medically accurate, age-appropriate and comprehensive sexuality education and also supports adequate funding for community-based sexuality education and family planning services, along with greater protections of patient confidentiality. He is a supporter of a bill that would require insurers to cover, at no cost, all U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptive methods.

Throughout his tenure, Toomey has voted against attempts to limit access to safe and legal abortion in Massachusetts. While initially opposing a 2,000-foot buffer zone law on First Amendment grounds, he subsequently voted twice in favor of safety measures protecting patients coming to Planned Parenthood and other sexual and reproductive health centers.

“Rep. Toomey recognizes that politicians have no place interfering in a woman’s personal medical decisions. Instead, he has leveraged his role as an elected leader to advocate for smart public health policies that improve the lives of Massachusetts residents and make all our communities healthier. Planned Parenthood is proud to endorse Rep. Toomey,” Childs-Roshak said.