Senator Cajero Bedford was re-elected to the Arizona state senate by voters in the new LD3. Before having the opportunity to serve Tucsonans at the state level, Senator Cajero Bedford was a business owner and a director of sales and marketing for the tourism/hotel industry. Understanding the importance of public service, Senator Cajero Bedford followed in the footsteps of both her father and mother to become the second generation in her family to represent southern Arizonans at the state Capitol.. She provided her parents, Rep. Bernardo “Nayo” Cajero and Rep. Carmen Cajero, with advice on important votes during the 28 years they served in the Arizona House of Representatives. She urged her parents to ensure that high school students receive free text books and that the state provide funding to establish the University of Arizona Cancer Research Center. In her fourteen years in office, Senator Cajero Bedford has fought to defend a woman’s right to choose, an issue that is deeply important to her and remained a priority during her time in office.
Sen. Bedford says, “While these provisions will not stop abortions, they will serve to jeopardize the reproductive health of many Arizona women. Low-income women will fall into the shadows to seek unsafe, illegal abortions. Rural women will be forced to travel long distances to either Tucson or Phoenix for an abortion. Lastly, many women will lose access to clinics that provide essential reproductive health services including well women exams, HPV vaccines, birth control, and abortions. Instead of punishing women for what is their legal reproductive choice, we should spend our time and resources on preventing unwanted pregnancies by providing safe and affordable contraceptives and comprehensive sex education.”