Women

In 1973, the United States Supreme Court affirmed women's fundamental right to make decisions about their own bodies and reproductive health and the courts have upheld that finding in subsequent cases. Despite these affirmations, women’s reproductive rights have increasingly come under assault. Although women have made significant strides towards equality in the workplace, today, women working full-time, year-round still earn only 76 cents for every dollar earned by men.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee has long been a champion of promoting and protecting women’s rights. Through her work, she has strived to guarantee fairness and equality for all women, both domestically and globally.

Congresswoman Lee is a staunch defender of women’s fundamental reproductive rights. She is a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus and has received 100 percent ratings from reproductive rights organizations, and is recognized for her leadership in working to overturn the global gag rule and fully fund the United Nations Family Planning fund. For years she has been leading the fight to replace unproven abstinence-only-until-marriage programs with comprehensive sex education that teach medically accurate information about both abstinence and contraception.

Congresswoman Lee is also a leader in the area of women’s health. Recognizing that women are the emerging face of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Congresswoman Lee has introduced legislation to address the cultural and economic factors that contribute to the high incidence of HIV/AIDS in women. A strong advocate of breast cancer research, she is also the author of legislation that would require public and private insurance to pay for menopausal therapy.

Congresswoman Lee is a longtime supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment and efforts to overcome income disparities between men and women. She is also committed to improving the lives of women globally, and has cosponsored legislation supporting the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).