Commentary

Access to the full range of reproductive health services — including abortion — is important to protect the safety of mothers and children, to support families and to advance the health and financial security of communities. The Maryland state legislature approved a bill last week that expands insurance coverage of reproductive health care and lifts unnecessary restrictions on who can provide abortions. It’s now on the governor’s desk. This bill is good news — for health.

Credit scores play an outsize role in American life. Without a decent credit score, it’s difficult to get a loan for a home, car or business, or even get a job. That’s why it’s welcome news that starting July 1, the nation’s three large credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — will stop including the vast majority of medical debt on people’s credit reports. This is no small change. Medical debt is the most common form of debt in collection listed on people’s credit reports — by far.

Maryland had the ninth highest homicide rate in the nation in 2020 and, keeping with national trends, the number of murders spiked in several Maryland areas in 2021, including Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. We know the story in Baltimore: 78 homicides in 2022, as of April 1. In the first 25 days of the year, there was more than one murder a day. There is broad agreement more must be done and organizations like Roca, where we work, are making an impact. For nearly 35 years, Roca has been working with the highest risk young men and women, those most likely to be victims or perpetrators of violence, and changing the trajectory of their lives.

Lee McCardell was the most famous of Baltimore Sun correspondents who covered World War II in Europe. In the months before the war, sensing that the U.S. would one day enter it, McCardell prepared for his eventual assignment by covering Army maneuvers and training. He also observed Ukrainian folk dancers in an East Baltimore church hall. It was 1938, a year before Germany invaded Poland to start the war, when McCardell wrote a bright, detailed story for The Evening Sun about not only the colorful dance troupe but the larger Ukrainian community.

Maryland has a rich history of service to our neighbors and our communities. We saw this selfless spirit during the past two years, as Marylanders from all walks of life stepped up to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. Service brings us together, creates a sense of connection to people and place, and shows our love for one another. It is also a powerful vehicle to create meaningful and long-lasting change.

I am 37 years old. Bobby Perkins spent 37 years in prison. The math was not lost on me as I got to know Mr. Perkins over the weeks I spent with him in Baltimore. In October of 2020, I went to Maryland with the goal of making a documentary about how the state was experiencing the 2020 presidential election. The project was part of my film work with the Bertelsmann Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. The idea was to compare the urban and rural experience in a (quasi) swing state. But I met Bobby on the first day of filming, and the project took an unexpected turn.

Mental health struggles affect everyone and too often, we suffer in silence. In Maryland, 1 in 5 live in an area with a severe shortage of mental health providers. Among those experiencing mental illness, 1 in 4 report unmet treatment needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed even more suffering and hardship, leaving Marylanders to jump through hoops to get basic access to affordable mental health and substance use care. Those who can’t find car