Jane Harman: “time is running out to move the statue of women suffragettes from the Capitol crypt to the Capitol rotunda. Despite the…”

“time is running out to move the statue of women suffragettes from the Capitol crypt to the Capitol rotunda. Despite the unanimous support of the Senate and wide bipartisan support from the House, no action has been taken. Is that where women's rights have been relegated this Congress, to the basement? This Congress has already waged numerous assaults on women. During the appropriations process, choice opponents succeeded in restricting a woman's constitutional right to choose, and they threaten to take us back to the days of dangerous back alley abortions. Congress has broken its promise to take violence against women seriously. Last Congress we passed the Violence Against Women Act, yet this year its funding was substantially reduced. Education is one of the best ways to increase opportunities for women. Congress, however, recently eliminated the Women's Educational Equity Act and reduced job training programs for women. The refusal to move the statue of Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony is symbolic of this Congress' assault against women. If women cannot gain a reasonable place in the Capitol rotunda, what can we expect legislatively? Women gained the right to vote 75 years ago, but we still have a long way to go, even to get out of the basement.”