Term Limits and Informed Consent in Politics

View our Fact Sheet on Baltimore City question K

Recently the concept of informed consent, primarily used in the medical field to ensure patients are able to exercise the human right of bodily integrity and make well-informed decisions about their own health care, has expanded into conversations on political and social issues. Informed consent, at its most fundamental, demands a patient fully understands the nature of the care being offered, the possible risks and benefits involved, any alternatives and their risks/benefits, and being sufficiently educated to make those determinations.


In politics and policy work, the same basic concepts should be applied. Voters, for example, should fully know the nature of who or what they are voting for. While the Maryland Poor People’s Campaign cannot recommend a vote; either for or against a particular candidate nor a ballot measure. We do believe that voter support is recommended. They should know the likely risks and benefits of voting for or against a particular candidate or ballot measure, and they should be aware of the context and broader implications of the direction they vote.


In the upcoming November 8 General Election, Baltimore City voters will be given an option to approve or reject an amendment to the city’s charter, via question K, that would limit elected officials to two terms (8 years) within a 12 year period, starting with those elected in 2024. While support for term limits often crosses lines of party and political ideology, few Baltimore City residents are aware how this question came to appear on the ballot.


Julian Sinclair Smith, Chairman, Sinclair Broadcasting Group (headquartered in Cockeysville in Baltimore County) paid $385,000 to People for Elected Accountability & Civic Engagement, an organization created for this purpose. Sinclair Broadcasting operates just under 200 television stations making up over 40% of the US local TV news market, including WBFF-TV Baltimore. During the collection of petition signatures, WBFF-TV (Fox 45) News frequently reported on the idea of recalling Mayor Brandon Scott.


The question becomes, why would Smith and Sinclair Broadcasting want to enact term limits in Baltimore City or drive the narrative of a mayoral recall? A 2019 study published in the American Political Science Review found that "stations bought by Sinclair … move the ideological tone of coverage in a conservative direction relative to other stations operating in the same market." In 2016, Smith notably met with former President Donald J. Trump, telling the future president, "We are here to deliver your message.” In the years since, this is most commonly heard in “must-run” segments, content all Sinclair-owned local stations are forced to air during prime viewing times.


If informed consent is applied to ballot question K, voters have the right to know exactly what they are saying “yes” to. They should be given a chance to weigh the possible risks and benefits of term limits on elected city officials and those of the alternatives to the term limits question K would enact. Most importantly, voting residents have the right to know who exactly created, funded, and supported this initiative.


Accurate, timely, and unbiased journalism is important in a functional democracy. But inaccurate, manipulative, and politically-biased reporting harms us nationally and locally. If term limits would benefit Baltimore City residents, local organizations who advocate for structural justice and help poor and low-wealth residents should be the ones to initiate, define, and champion that effort.


Linnell Fall
Tri-Chair of the Maryland Poor People’s Campaign

Worker's Rights, Right Now

Recently Barbara Ehrenreich, author of the 2001 groundbreaking work Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, passed away. The premise of Nickel and Dimed is simple: can low-wage workers survive on what they earn? Ehrenreich researched her topic by living as a minimum wage worker, in different industries, for weeks at a time. Her conclusion was the following: 

The fight for worker protections predates the U.S. itself...

Workers began protesting unfair treatment early in U.S. history. Even before our independence from British rule, journeyman tailors in New York protested a reduction in their wages in 1768.ⁱ Labor unions grew from the atrocities committed against workers during the Industrial Revolution of the mid 1800s. Child labor, unsafe working conditions, and unfair labor practices created a drive for workers to band together and use collective bargaining to demand better treatment, pay, and benefits.

In the 1930s unions became federally recognized, and the National Labor Relations Board was established. Unions flourished in the U.S. through the 1960s, but struggled as factories were moved overseas and Republicans, like Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1981, championed "deregulation" and took decidedly anti-union stances. Union membership declined steadily as jobs in union-heavy sectors, like manufacturing, decreased. Conservative states passed "Right to Work" legislation, heavily favoring the rights of employers over employees and making union membership less powerful.ⁱⁱ

Low-wage workers need more than just a living wage...

With the federal minimum wage at $7.25/hour, unchanged since 2009, there is no U.S. state where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford a 2-bedroom rental. Nationally, the wage needed to afford a modest 1-bedroom rental is $21.25/hour. Here in Maryland, although our minimum wage is higher at $12.50/hour, the minimum wage needed to afford a 2-bedroom rental is $28.93/hour.ⁱⁱⁱ 

Raising the minimum wage to a living wage is imperative, but only one piece of the puzzle. Benefits, like health insurance and paid leave, can affect the financial health of an individual or family as much as rate of pay. For example, union members make over 11% more than non-union members, but 96% of union members have health insurance as a result of their union and only 69% of non-union workers are insured.^iv In our country, 41% of adults have health-care debt and low-income and uninsured people are most likely to owe this debt.^v The absence of a comprehensive, nationwide system of paid leave means workers without adequate coverage lose wages and/or benefits when taking time for themselves or their family. A recent report estimates U.S. workers collectively lost over $28 billion in wages during the first two years of the pandemic.^vi

A new generations is fighting for worker protections...

Starting with the unionization of a Starbucks store in Buffalo, NY in 2021, unions have experienced a measurable resurgence. Most notably, this spring Amazon workers at a warehouse on Staten Island voted in favor of a union, despite the company spending over $4.3 million on anti-union consultants.^vii Over 100 Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since, and employees at a Trader Joe's in Massachusetts and a Chipotle in Michigan have become the first to unionize at those companies.^viii Here in Maryland, two union firsts occurred this summer when employees at The Apple Store in Towson Town Center^ix and MOM's Organic Market in Hampden^x (both in Baltimore County) voted to unionize. And while only 1 in 6 Americans live in a household with a union member, the approval rating of unions is at its highest point since 1965, with 71% of Americans having a favorable opinion of labor unions.^xi

The future of labor organizing is here...

When we speak of community or political organizing, we often refer to the phrase coined by the National Union of the Homeless, "You only get what you are organized to take." The 40 hour work week, the weekend, minimum age requirements for employment, worker's compensation, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), and all other worker protections were fought for and won by those who suffered in the workplace then demanded change.

As Utah Phillips, labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller and poet, said,

"These kids don't have a little brother working in the coal mine, they don't have a little sister coughing her lungs out in the looms of the big mill towns of the Northeast. Why? Because we organized; we broke the back of the sweatshops in this country; we have child labor laws. Those were not benevolent gifts from enlightened management. They were fought for, they were bled for, they were died for by working people, by people like us. Kids ought to know that."^xii

When people vote this November, many will have wages, worker's rights, worker benefits, and working conditions on their minds. Let's keep in mind that we will only get what we are organized to take, and all employee protections, like those offered by unions, can only be had through a ballot box.

ⁱWikipedia contributors. (2022a, June 11). Labor rights. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

ⁱⁱWikipedia contributors. (2022e, September 10). Labor unions in the United States. Wikipedia. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

ⁱⁱⁱ Out of Reach. (n.d.). National Low Income Housing Coalition. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^iv National Compensation Survey (NCS) Home Page. (2008, July 19). Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^vHealth Care Debt In The U.S.: The Broad Consequences Of Medical And Dental Bills - Main Findings. (2022, July 29). KFF. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^viKonish, L. (2022, August 12). U.S. workers lost about $28 billion in wages during Covid-19 due to lack of access to paid leave, report finds. CNBC. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^viiJamieson, D. (2022, April 1). Amazon Spent $4.3 Million On Anti-Union Consultants Last Year. HuffPost. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^viiiGurley, L. K. (2022, August 30). The labor market is still red-hot — and it’s helping union organizers. The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^ixLerman, R., Gregg, A., & Somasundaram, P. (2022, June 18). Apple Store workers approve union, the first in the U.S.The Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^xBologna, G. (2022, August 30). Workers at MOM’s Organic Market in Hampden vote to unionize. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^xi McCarthy, B. J. (2022, September 13). U.S. Approval of Labor Unions at Highest Point Since 1965. Gallup.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

^xii Kupfer, D. (2018, June 4). An Interview with Utah Phillips. Progressive.org. Retrieved September 15, 2022.

After Dobbs: Our Nation without Bodily Autonomy Rights

Why is bodily autonomy important?

• The fundamental human right of bodily autonomy (the bioethical principle on which the right to abortion rests) was formalized shortly after World War II’s Doctors' Trials, during which details regarding the medical experimentation, and consequent torture, done by Nazi doctors on nonconsenting, mostly Jewish, prisoners, came to light.ⁱ

• The history of bodily autonomy violations in the United States can easily be seen in the many instances of “experiments” run on non-consenting racial and ethnic minorities. The 40-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study promised treatment to Black men suffering from syphilis, but denied those men access to readily available penicillin regimens that resulted in 128 out of 400 dying from syphilis, 40 of their partners being infected, and 19 children born with fatal congenital syphilis.ⁱⁱ 

• The Supreme Court’s 1927 ruling Buck v. Bell upheld the legality of forced sterilizations, mostly performed on minority women arbitrarily deemed mentally ill or disabled and women under legal conservator or guardianships.  Because this decision was never formally overturned, thousands of people since have endured brutal sterilization procedures with no real legal recourse available.ⁱⁱⁱ 

• On June 24th, the Supreme Court upheld a highly restrictive Mississippi state law, effectively overturning Roe v. Wade and 50 years of abortion rights.^iv Thirteen states had previous “trigger bans” – legislation that were automatically enacted once the ruling became official. The three liberal justices, in their joint dissent, wrote, “As of today, this Court holds, a state can always force a woman to give birth, prohibiting even the earliest abortions.” 

What are the real, measurable consequences of Dobbs?

National pregnancy-related mortality ratios by racial and ethnic group, 2014–2017, projected increases one year after abortion bans upheld, and projected increases in subsequent years, source

• A study published last year in Duke University’s journal Demography estimated that if the Supreme Court invalidated Roe v. Wade, triggering abortion ban laws in 13 states, pregnancy-related deaths would increase for all pregnant individuals by 21% over time. But because of structural, racial and economic inequalities in health care access and treatment, minorities would be disproportionately affected. For example, Black people were projected to experience a 33% increase in maternal mortality in the years after bans were enacted.^v

• As many states’ abortion ban legislation carry heavy penalties for doctors accused of even assisting with termination of a pregnancy, health care professionals are erroring on the side of not providing care at all. Additionally, pharmacists who fall under the same vaguely written laws are often unwilling to dispense prescriptions for medications that reduce suffering during a miscarriage because they can also be used as abortifacients.^vi

• Because of this, primary care and OB-GYNs are refusing to work in states with abortion bans. The ambiguity of the laws allow lawsuits to be brought against care providers, even those not performing abortions. Certain states' legislatures, such as Texas, have considered letting private individuals be “deputized” to bring civil lawsuits against people suspected of having or assisting with an abortion.^vii

• Any person who could become pregnant but also takes prescription medications that are harmful or fatal to a fetus is faced with a new, unwelcome challenge without access to abortion care. This is particularly true for disabled persons, who are more likely to be victims of sexual violence, more likely to experience an unplanned pregnancy, and more likely to die during childbirth.^viii It also threatens the lives of pregnant people who discover they have aggressive or late stage cancers. Most chemotherapy treatments are not compatible with fetal development and/or viability. But in states with restrictive abortion bans, those people are now forced to carry their fetus to term and begin treatments after birth.^ix

A timeline of needless suffering:

• On June 30th, a ten year old child underwent a medical abortion in Indiana, after being raped in her home state of Ohio, which had a “trigger ban” that took effect once the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling was made official. Republicans in Ohio’s General Assembly have a veto-proof majority and are expected to further restrict abortions, allowing for no rape/incest exceptions and possibly including language that would prohibit terminations after fertilization, thus eliminating some forms of birth control.^x

• In July a Texas woman requested an abortion after miscarrying one of her twins at 15 weeks but was told her life wasn’t sufficiently endangered in order to receive the procedure. Weeks later, with sepsis and resulting kidney damage, she was allowed an abortion.^xi

• In August a woman in Nebraska who previously assisted her 17 year old daughter obtain abortifacient medicines and induce an abortion, was charged with a felony because of Nebraska’s 20 week abortion ban. Prosecutors then waited until the daughter turned 18 a couple months later to charge her as an adult.^xii 

Where are forced-birth advocates focusing next?

Forced-birth extremists are divided as to where they should next direct their assault on basic human rights. The majority of these groups are now working to erode legal exceptions to abortion bans that allow abortions in cases of rape and incest. Many organizations are looking to redefine when and how abortions can be used to preserve the life of a pregnant individual. Some groups are also building on state laws that allow the genetic father of a fetus (or related family members) to bring legal claims against health professionals that provided abortion care to a pregnant person or that pregnant person themselves.^xiii 

Abortion is health care.

Abortion rights are human rights.

In addition to violating the bioethical imperative of bodily autonomy as a fundamental human right, abortion restrictions and bans are an effective distraction technique used to keep poor and low-wealth communities at odds. In European countries where abortion is easily available, free of cost, and not stigmatized, the actual rate of abortions performed is roughly half that in the US, adjusted for population differences. 

Life-saving abortion access is a poor and/or low-wealth person’s issue – one that crosses all political, geographic, racial, ethnic, and religious lines.

ⁱWikipedia contributors. (2022b, August 2). Doctors’ trial. Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
ⁱⁱWikipedia contributors. (2022a, June 21). Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
ⁱⁱⁱVenkataramanan, M. (2022, July 24). She survived a forced sterilization. Activists fear more could occur post-Roe. Washington Post. 
^ivBarnes, R., & Marimow, A. E. (2022, June 25). Supreme Court ruling leaves states free to outlaw abortion. Washington Post.
^vStevenson, A. J. (2021). The Pregnancy-Related Mortality Impact of a Total Abortion Ban in the United States: A Research Note on Increased Deaths Due to Remaining Pregnant. Demography, 58(6).
^viHesse, M. (2022, July 22). One month in, abortion bans are hell on Earth. Washington Post.
^viiRowland, C. (2022, August 6). A challenge for antiabortion states: Doctors reluctant to work there. Washington Post.
^viiiVenkataramanan, M. (2022b, July 25). Their medications cause pregnancy issues. Post-Roe, that could be dangerous. Washington Post.
^ixSekeres, M. A. (2022, July 28). Abortion ruling may restrict options for pregnant cancer patients. Washington Post.
^xTrombly, B. M., & Bruner, T. C. (2022, July 21). Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention. The Columbus Dispatch. 
^xiGoodman, D. J., & Ghorayshi, A. (2022, July 21). Women Face Risks as Doctors Struggle With Medical Exceptions on Abortion. The New York Times. 
^xiiFunk, J. (2022, August 10). Nebraska woman charged with helping daughter have abortion. AP NEWS. 
^xiiiRoubein, R., & Beard, M. (2022, July 25). Antiabortion groups differ on the details over where to take their fight next. Washington Post.