BOSTON – ​The following is a statement by Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford in response to Governor Baker’s continued silence aiding and abetting Republican assault on women’s health:

“When the Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that businesses could restrict their employee’s access to contraception, Charlie Baker said “It doesn’t matter.”

When President-Elect Trump nominated a Health and Human Services Secretary committed to further restrictions on women’s access to contraception, Governor Baker said, “Let’s wait and see.”

Now, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan wants to eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, an agency that millions of women rely on for their health care.

Governor Baker’s continued silence makes him complicit in the conservative Republican assault on women’s health. It is past time for Governor Baker to speak up for the women of Massachusetts. It really does matter.”

Petition: 

The Massachusetts Democratic Party began circulating a petition calling on Governor Charlie Baker to #SpeakUpCharlie against President-Elect Donald Trump’s choice of Steve Bannon, a prolific white supremacist, as Chief Strategist and Senior Counsel. The Party has reached their goal of collecting over 15,000 signatures and will continue to collect signatures from concerned Massachusetts residents.