Women's rights discussed at Western Maryland Democratic Summit

Apr. 15—FLINTSTONE — Gov. Wes Moore referenced lessons he learned as a U.S. Army soldier and talked of distinction between battle and war.

Understanding the difference is key in the fight for freedoms, including women's rights, he said in his keynote address at the 20th Annual Western Maryland Democratic Summit on Saturday at Rocky Gap Casino Resort.

The summit, which included roughly 300 attendees, was hosted by the Western Maryland Democratic Political Action Committee.

"The primary season is the battle," Moore said and added Democratic candidates must not waste resources and energy fighting each other.

Instead, they should focus on November elections to retain the party's power, he said.

"This threat is real," Moore said. "When someone shows you who they are the first time, believe them."

Moore talked of his visit earlier this year to Cumberland's Women's Health Center of Maryland, where doctors and nurses prepared to deliver care from behind bulletproof glass, and protestors outside the facility "screamed at us."

Reproductive health should be between a woman and her doctor, he said.

"Abortion is also health care," Moore said.

He talked of other freedoms on the line, including paid family leave and lack of child care that often prevents women from reentering the workforce.

The baseline of Democratic Party policies must be to "fight for humanity," Moore said.

He thanked Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller, who was at the event, for her leadership with mind and heart, and talked of the administration's work to combat issues, including generational poverty.

"The evolution of our state does not happen by accident," he said. "Democrats ... can make powerful things happen in our communities."

This is "Maryland's decade," Moore said.

"We can move fast and we can move far because we're going to move together," he said.

Saturday's visit to Western Maryland marked Moore's first venture out of the Baltimore region since a container ship struck and destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge last month.

"A little bit of the soul of this state collapsed into the Patapsco River," Moore said and described the size of the vessel, named the Dali, as roughly the same length as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The catastrophe killed six men as they repaired potholes on the bridge in the early morning hours of March 26.

"We literally have divers in the water right now," he said of a search for "three souls" whose bodies have not been recovered.

Moore said he wants families of the victims to know "everyone in the state is with them."

Ed Kave of Williamsport said the governor showed "great composure" in his leadership after the bridge collapse, and added he's grateful for the attention Moore has paid to Western Maryland.

"That means a lot ... that we're being heard," Kave said.

He was at the summit to support Gaithersburg resident Laurie-Anne Sayles, candidate for Maryland's 6th Congressional District.

According to the Maryland State Board of Elections, in addition to Sayles, Democratic candidates for Congressional District 6 include Peter Choharis, George Gluck, Geoffrey Grammer, Ashwani Jain, Lesley J. Lopez, Tekesha A. Martinez, April McClain Delaney, Stephen R. McDow II, Mohammad S. Mozumder, Adrian Petrus, Joel Rubin, Joe Vogel, Destiny Drake West, Kiambo "Bo" White, and Altimont Mark Wilks.

Sayles said Moore's address highlighted the importance of women's voices.

As the mother of a 24-year-old daughter, she wants to ensure women's rights.

"Our children are what drives us," Sayles said and added she'll "fight like hell" to protect women's rights for the future.

Sharon Blugis, founder and legislative director at Reproductive Justice Maryland, said she related to the governor's battle-and-war message.

Lawmakers last year passed an amendment to enshrine abortion in Maryland's constitution, and protect patients and providers from penalties related to abortion bans or restrictions in other states.

Blugis said its important for women's rights that Democratic candidates win seats in November.

"Republicans have done everything they can ... to ban abortion," she said. "This is the abortion election."

Teresa McMinn is a reporter for the Cumberland Times-News. She can be reached at 304-639-2371 or tmcminn@times-news.com.