Social & Criminal Justice

The great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I have devoted my entire professional career towards defending those people whom our society treats unjustly. As an emergency pediatrician and advocate I work every day with families who struggle to stay afloat in a system that burdens them with extra challenges. I see those who face injustice every day. Minority families often come to my department because they have a harder time getting insurance, and because it is more difficult for them to acquire the resources that the rest of us sometimes take for granted. It is because of this inequality that I have worked with so many marginalized families and strive to create more equity in Utah. As a long time policy advocate, I fight for the rights of marginalized groups who are too often overlooked by some of our political leaders and systems.

Social Equality

It is unacceptable for any community to be discriminated against due to their race, ethnicity, gender, and or sexual orientation. As a policy advocate on the hill I fight for equality in areas like healthcare and employment. Too many times I have seen patients treated differently because of the color of their skin or because a doctor did not take their complaints seriously. Too often we hear of job candidates who are turned down or have their resume thrown out due to the sound of their voice or their names being associated with a certain minority group.

One of my first goals as senator is to create added protection for Utah’s minority communities so that they can fully participate in our economy, attain equal health treatment and outcomes, and take full advantage of all the many opportunities and benefits Utah has to offer.

Often members of the LGBTQ+ community face added discrimination in Utah, both in our society and in our laws. I promise to maintain and improve equal housing laws so that gay and trans individuals can find homes and solace in our great state. We need the presence and perspectives you bring to the table, and I will fight to protect your rights. Regretfully, Utah has one of the highest suicide rates of LGBTQ+ teens. If elected as senator I promise to fund programs that will address teen mental health and foment greater understanding and love within our communities. Your lives are important to me and to all of us. We value your presence and we need your voices.

It is a scary time for women of the United States as the Supreme Court begins to roll back its infamous Roe v. Wade ruling. Women of Utah have struggled as their reproductive rights are threatened and called into question by the Utah legislature and federal representatives. I vow as your senator to do everything in my power to protect your reproductive rights that are threatened more than ever before.

Criminal Justice Reform

Americans have suffered for decades under the brutal fist of our flawed justice system, which imprisons more people per capita than any other nation in the world! Full prisons cost tax payers millions per year and damage countless lives. Unfortunately, Utah’s justice system has some of the same imperfections that are present at the federal level. Of course, we want to keep Utah as crime free as possible. Bad actors should always be held responsible. But, in the spirit of our founding fathers, we also cannot unfairly punish those who do not deserve it. As your senator I promise to implement a plant that will reduce discrimination in justice and make Utah a state of equality.

• Mental Health & Crime

  • We often arrest individuals who should be treated as mental patients, not as criminals. In fact, our prison system has been considered by some to be the largest mental treatment provider in the state. Studies show that mental health emergency responders who act alone or in conjunction with law enforcement greatly reduce the rate of incarceration rates and recidivism. Trial programs have been implemented in some counties with great success, and I will fund and promote a statewide system of mental health first responders to work in tandem with law enforcement.

• Racial Equality under the Law

  • Utah has a relatively fair criminal justice system compared to other states. However, we still prejudice racial minorities and someone needs to stop that. As senator, I promise to increase the punishment for race profiling and race bias in the justice system. I promise to increase race and ethnicity training exercises for law enforcement and legal staff that have proven to lower criminal inequality in other states.