opinion

I've seen the effects of injustice, and Bernie Sanders is the one who will do something about it

I am endorsing Bernie Sanders for president because I believe in universal justice for all. I believe everyone has a right to a clean atmosphere, health care, a living wage, freedom, safety, equal rights, and the opportunity to dream and work toward making those dreams come true. And I know Bernie sincerely shares these values and will never waver in his commitment to these goals, because he never has.

I am endorsing Bernie because I want my three daughters to know I did all I could to help leave this world in better shape than I found it. This means we must act boldly to address the issue of climate change. Half-measures will not cut it. Bernie knows this and Bernie is fighting for the future of this planet.

► Iowa caucus results: Follow live Iowa caucus results on Monday night.

As a physician, I strongly believe that health care is a basic human right. We must transform our current profit-driven system focused on disease into one that focuses on wellness. A system where profits come from health, not disease. And Bernie Sanders has been the moral and policy leader on the issue of Medicare for All and that is why we need Bernie in the White House.

I’m endorsing Bernie because I have seen the despair and suffering our foreign policy decisions have had on the lives and bodies of the people of Gaza and I hurt from it. Bernie is the first and only presidential candidate to acknowledge that Palestinians are human beings with inherent human rights that we must value and work to protect.

No matter your race, religion, or circumstance, if you believe in justice for all, then we need you as part of this movement to elect Bernie Sanders as the next president of the United States. We can do this. We can win. We have the people. We have the power. Now we must come together and make it happen.

I am for universal justice for all. That is why I am for Bernie Sanders. That is why, together, we will win the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3.

Maria Filippone lives in Des Moines.