Receives ‘Champion of Choice’ award
Reproductive Freedom for All announced its endorsement of Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12) for U.S. Senate in California. Rep. Lee has been a vocal champion and singular force for reproductive freedom for decades, continuing the work of her mentor and one of our organization’s first honorary co-presidents, Rep. Shirley Chisolm. Rep. Lee’s work championing abortion rights and access earned her the organization’s “Champion for Choice” award during its 50th-anniversary event.
Rep. Lee has worked to protect and expand access to reproductive health care, including abortion care—by:
• Co-chairing the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus;
• Authoring and leading the charge to pass the EACH Act, which would end the discriminatory Hyde Amendment;
• Serving as lead co-sponsor of the Global Health, Empowerment and Rights (HER) Act, which would permanently end the global gag rule, protecting access to sexual and reproductive health care for people around the world;
• Co-sponsoring numerous bills that would advance reproductive freedom such as the Women’s Health Protection Act and the Ensuring Women’s Right to Reproductive Freedom Act;
• Sharing her own abortion story;
• As a member of the appropriations committee, she is leading the charge to fight back against anti-abortion attacks in spending bills; and
• Voting in favor of reproductive freedom, consistently receiving a 100% rating from Reproductive Freedom for All in every year since she was elected to Congress in 1988.
Reproductive Freedom for All President and CEO Mini Timmaraju released the following statement:
“Rep. Barbara Lee is a driving force in our fight for abortion rights and access. She has been more than an advocate and a leader for reproductive freedom—she has been a champion, pushing her caucus to fight for stronger protections for our rights and greater access to abortion care. Rep. Lee has done it all loudly, proudly, and boldly, and that is why we are absolutely thrilled to endorse her in her bid and mobilize our more than 371,000 members in the state to ensure she is elected to the U.S. Senate.”
Lee also issued a statement:
“Abortion is health care, and health care is a human right. There has been no time in the history of this country when women, especially Black and low-income women, have had the reproductive freedom and justice that they deserve. That’s why I have dedicated my life to fighting the never-ending attacks on our rights. For more than 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All has defended the fundamental right of women to control our own bodies. I’m proud to stand with them in fighting to protect and expand access to abortion and all reproductive health care, and am honored to receive their endorsement.”
