Nobody should be treated as a second-class citizen. That is why I am proud to support marriage equality in Maryland and to say that I would vote to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act if sent to Congress.

Additionally, I believe that for us to have true equality the rights of women must be protected. That is why I believe that basic healthcare necessities such as contraception need to be covered and that health insurance companies should not be able to overcharge women for their coverage.

Too much is at stake and too many of our rights would be endangered if the issue of choice were to be revisited at this point in our history. The war on women must end and it must end now. The continued desire of the conservative movement to strip women of their rights is beneath us as a nation. We have been a beacon of freedom and equality throughout the world; our policies and politics must again reflect that.