Representative Louise Slaughter is a longstanding advocate for the reproductive rights of women living in the United States and throughout the world.  In the 107th Congress, Rep. Slaughter assumed the position of Democratic Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, a Members' organization which works to protect women's reproductive freedom and to educate the public about reproductive choice.  In this position, Rep. Slaughter has brought together leaders from both sides of the aisle to introduce legislation ensuring the availability of family planning services, including emergency contraception; access to comprehensive sex education for our nation's young people; the protection of pregnant women from violence; and the right to choose legal and safe reproductive health options.  In addition, the Congresswoman, along with the Pro-Choice Caucus leadership, has fought against federal abortion bans and attempts to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Within the past few years, Rep. Slaughter made significant progress in drawing national attention to the problem of sexual assault of women in the military. In March, 2004, the Congresswoman led a hearing on this issue and presented a report containing the transcript of the hearing to U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Following the hearing, in May 2004, the U.S. House unanimously passed an amendment championed by Rep. Slaughter requiring the Pentagon to develop a comprehensive and uniform policy to prevent and respond to sexual assault of women in the military. Since enactment of this policy, Rep. Slaughter has hosted annual briefings whereby DoD has presented its report findings and progress on this issue to Congress.

Rep. Slaughter has been leading the charge to uphold the federal government's commitment to Title IX, the women's educational fairness and equity law. Enacted in 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments requires federally funded schools to provide comparable educational and athletic opportunities for both females and males. In the thirty-eight years since Title IX was enacted, women’s participation in sports has grown exponentially and female athletics are gaining more and more national attention.  However, high school girls still receive what amounts to 1.3 million fewer opportunities to play sports than high school boys.

Throughout her nearly twenty-four years in Congress, Rep. Slaughter has been a tireless advocate on issues of concern to women in the workplace and women small business owners.

Rep. Slaughter continues to highlight issues affecting working women, such as the need for improved child care, preschool and after school care for children, diversity in the workforce, career training for displaced homemakers and single parents, the glass ceiling and the gender gap in wages, employment issues faced by women with disabilities, balancing work and family, supporting Women's Business Centers, and addressing gender disparities in the fields of math, science, engineering and technology.

Rep. Slaughter has worked hard to draw attention to and eliminate violations of basic human rights of women and children throughout the globe.  While in Congress, Rep. Slaughter has worked on many issues affecting international women's human rights, such as female genital mutilation, child marriage, trafficking in women and girls, women and HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality, women and hunger, basic education for girls, and violence against women.

Rep. Slaughter is an outspoken national champion of women's rights.  She constantly fights for the equality and rights of women, calling for awareness and action both in the U.S. and abroad.

Rep. Slaughter worked with now Secretary of State Hilary Clinton tirelessly for ten years to pass the National Women’s Rights History Project Act and on March 30, 2009, this legislation was signed into law by President Obama as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The National Women’s Rights History Project will provide Americans with the opportunity to learn about the female heroes who have fought tirelessly to secure these rights. Specifically, the Project will establish an auto route linking sites significant to the struggle for women's suffrage and civil rights. It also would expand the current National Register travel itinerary website, "Places Where Women Made History," to include additional historic sites. Finally, this Project will require the Department of Interior to establish a partnership-based network to offer financial and technical assistance for interpretive and educational program development of national women's rights history.