Meet Our Candidates: Kelli Butler for State Representative, LD 28

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Anna C.

The Arizona general election will be held on November 8, 2016. Reproductive health care access has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive justice. To acquaint you with our endorsed candidates, we are running a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” In order to vote in the election, you must have been registered to vote by October 10. Make your voice heard in 2016!

[T]he 28th legislative district has, until recently, been represented in the House by Democrat Eric Meyer and Republican Kate Brophy McGee, making it one of the state’s few swing districts. Dr. Eric Meyer, although termed out of the House, was not done fighting for his values and District 28. Evaluating his competition, incumbent Adam Driggs announced that he would not seek reelection. Kate Brophy McGee jumped at the opportunity to get in the Senate race, leaving two seats in the House up for grabs.

Kelli Butler, a Democrat, hopes to occupy one of those seats, keeping LD 28’s House representation split between one Democrat and one Republican.

Ms. Butler will be squaring off against Mary Hamway and Maria Syms, both of whom support heavy restrictions on abortion. Ms. Syms also opposes including sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in nondiscrimination laws. While all three House candidates have made education a central part of their platforms, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona trusts Ms. Butler to advocate for a very important aspect of children’s schooling: comprehensive sex education. For that reason, and because of her strong support for reproductive rights, we recommend a single-shot vote for Kelli Butler.

Education, the economy, and child safety represent the three pillars of Ms. Butler’s platform, and comprehensive sex education links all three of these issues together. Including comprehensive sex education in schools empowers students with the information they need to avoid sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies — the latter of which will help reduce dropout rates among teenage girls. When teens are able to delay childbearing until after they complete their educations, they are able to obtain better jobs and be less dependent on public assistance, helping to strengthen the economy. Knowledge about preventing pregnancy can help them start their families when they are ready, helping children to be born into more stable homes that are ready to raise them.

We need lawmakers at the Capitol to introduce legislation that improves sex education in all of Arizona, rather than making piecemeal advances one district at a time. Even school districts with relatively progressive sex-ed programs are constrained by state laws that, for example, forbid teachers from presenting LGBTQ folks in a positive light. We need representatives like Ms. Butler to give local school districts better laws to work with.

Kelli Butler is running to represent Legislative District 28, which includes Paradise Valley and parts of Phoenix. She took the time for an interview with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona on October 12, 2016.

“Medically accurate and age-appropriate sex education is vital to every person’s health and well-being.”

Tell us a little about your background and why it’s important to you to be involved in your community.

I am a native Arizonan and I grew up largely within the boundaries of my district. I attended local public schools at a time when Arizona was near the national average in per-student funding. We had access to quality programs and educational options that are no longer available to our public school students today. When my two boys attended our neighborhood public school, I witnessed the dire results of budget cuts — programs like art, music, and electives were cut, class sizes increased, and teachers began leaving the profession. I got involved in politics because I am a passionate advocate for education and I want to be part of a different vision for our state. Continue reading →

Spotlight on Eric Meyer: The 28th Legislative District’s Champion for Health Care and Education

Posted on September 27, 2016 by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona

Dr. Eric Meyer is a champion. As an emergency department doctor, he’s seen how lack of access to health care impacts Arizonans every day. As a state representative from Legislative District 28, he’s also seen the impact of legislators putting the health and safety of everyone at risk when they attempt to practice medicine without a license. As a physician, it’s clear to Dr. Meyer that all medical decisions must be made by a patient and her doctor, not by the legislature. Therefore, as a candidate for the Arizona Senate, Dr. Meyer is poised to bring his wide-ranging experience to the highest legislative body in the state — if, on November 8, voters elect to send him back to the Capitol as a senator.

“Opposing [comprehensive sex education] is irresponsible and unfair to our state’s youth and the society as a whole.”

In 2014, the Arizona Mayors’ Education Roundtable released a report stating that high school dropouts cost the state $7.6 billion over the course of their lifetime. There is a direct correlation between medically accurate comprehensive sexual education and a reduction in teen pregnancy rates. Similarly, there is a direct correlation between teen pregnancy and school dropout rates, which leads to poverty and translates to high costs to the state. Why, then, do so many state lawmakers stridently oppose comprehensive sex education on the one hand, while on the other hand they decry teen pregnancy and high-school dropouts?

Luckily, during his eight years in the Arizona House of Representatives, Dr. Eric Meyer has built a consistent voting record when it comes to promoting education and preventing teen pregnancy, and he is prepared to continue this fight on the Senate floor. “We must develop a thoughtful, statewide policy to address these issues,” Meyer stated. “The most fundamental, basic first step to breaking this cycle is to provide statewide comprehensive, medically accurate sexual education for all teenagers.” Continue reading →

Meet Our Candidates: Kelli Butler for State Senator, LD 28

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Anna C.

The Arizona general election will be held on November 4, 2014. Reproductive health care access has been under attack, both nationally and statewide, but Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive justice. To acquaint you with our endorsed candidates, we are running a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” In order to vote in the general election, you must register to vote by October 6 — and can even register online. Make your voice heard in 2014!

[K]elli Butler is an Arizona native with professional experience in the health care field and a background in community involvement in education. When her district’s current state senator, Adam Driggs, voted in favor of this year’s discriminatory SB 1062, she made the decision to run for his seat in the Senate so that her fellow LD 28 constituents could be represented by someone who would advocate for the rights and dignity of all Arizonans.

The three main components of her platform are investing in public education, creating quality jobs, and protecting children and families. To support these goals, Ms. Butler is in favor of including comprehensive sex education in schools to empower students with the information they need to avoid sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies — the latter of which will help reduce dropout rates among teenage girls. Additionally, increasing access to family planning services can help women make decisions that are best for themselves and their families.

The 28th legislative district is currently represented in the state Senate by Adam Driggs, whose record on reproductive health and rights is dismal. He has consistently voted against Planned Parenthood’s mission, supporting bills that would have reduced access to birth control and preventive services at Planned Parenthood Arizona. He has also voted for HB 2036, the infamous bill that restricts abortion to 20 weeks and defines pregnancy as starting two weeks before conception. Additionally, Driggs has signed the Center for Arizona Policy’s statement denouncing Roe v. Wade.

“We must empower people with knowledge and choices so they are able to make the most responsible decisions for themselves.”

Tell us a little about your background.

I’m a proud Arizona native, having grown up within the boundaries of District 28. I attended University of Arizona and majored in elementary education. I’ve been married for 25 years to my husband, Ben Butler, who is a general dentist in Glendale, Arizona. I help manage his dental practice and run our small business. I am familiar with the challenges of small business ownership and with the regulatory and insurance environments of the health care industry. I am a longtime advocate for public schools, having raised my two boys in Phoenix’s Madison School District. I was very involved in their schools and on district-level committees.

Earlier this year, the state legislature passed HB 2284, which permits the health department to inspect abortion clinics without a warrant. What do you think about this new law?

HB 2284 opens the door to harassment of women and their health care providers. This measure is simply another attempt by far-right groups like the Center for Arizona Policy to restrict women’s access to safe, responsible choices and health services. Abortion clinics are already highly regulated. HB 2284 was motivated by political ideology; it is part of a concerted effort to throw more roadblocks in the way of women seeking access to reproductive medical services. Continue reading →

Meet Our Candidates: Eric Shelley for State Senate, LD 28

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona

The Arizona general election will be held on November 6, 2012, with early voting starting today. After the many recent legislative challenges to reproductive health care access, both nationally and statewide, the importance of voting in November can’t be overstated. To help voters, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona has endorsed candidates who have shown strong commitment to reproductive health and freedom. Along with those endorsements, we are spotlighting our endorsed candidates in a series called “Meet Our Candidates.” Make your voice heard in 2012!

[E]ric Shelley, like both of his parents, was born and raised in Arizona. He grew up in Mesa and graduated from Westwood High School, after which he received a degree in psychology from Arizona State University. Since then, Shelley has worked for the same employer — a large health benefits company — for the duration of his career. His current role involves planning budgets and determining the number of new employees the company needs to hire. Shelley says this makes him “a true job creator.”

“Legislators … are not doctors and should not insert themselves into decisions that patients and doctors should make.”

According to his website, after more than 20 years in the private sector, Shelley “understands the challenges faced by employees and employers alike.” Additionally, Shelley’s role as a community activist has brought him into contact with Arizonans who have fallen on hard times. Shelley refers to them as “Arizonans who have worked hard, played by the rules, and yet still find themselves losing their jobs, their homes, their dignity and their security.” People like these have inspired Shelley to want to “work hard to help our neighbors find solutions to these challenges and get our state back on track.”

Eric Shelley is running to represent the newly drawn Legislative District 28, which includes Paradise Valley and parts of Phoenix. He took the time for an interview with Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona on October 7, 2012.

How will your career in the field of health benefits inform your decision-making process when considering health-care-related bills?

My experience in health care goes beyond the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. I grew up around health care professionals. My mother is a nurse practitioner and my sister is a physician’s assistant. I understand that medical issues are complex and highly personal. Public policy makers should take steps to increase access to the entire range of health care services.

In the previous legislative session, there were a lot of bad bills that negatively affected access to birth control (HB2625), funding for family planning (HB2800), abortion (HB2036), and unbiased information about unintended pregnancies in public schools (SB1009) — and your opponent, Adam Driggs, voted in favor of all of them. Do you feel that his views are consistent with the majority of Arizonans?

Sen. Driggs has cast many votes that are completely out of touch with the views of Arizona voters. With his votes on less money and more guns for Arizona schools, votes to cut 47,000 Arizona children from KidsCare, and these crucial votes on reproductive-rights issues, Sen. Driggs has been a rubber stamp for the tea party legislature the voters of Arizona have had to endure the last few years. I will work to make sure the Arizona legislature will focus on the right priorities for Arizona. Continue reading →