Sean Patrick Maloney: “Yesterday, on the last day of Women's History Month, the world lost a great leader in Bella Abzug. Tears are being shed…”

“Yesterday, on the last day of Women's History Month, the world lost a great leader in Bella Abzug. Tears are being shed today, not just in the United States but around the world, because Bella's vision was not confined to one issue or to one nation. Bella Abzug was the original feminist, an icon in the women's movement here and around the world. But she worked for more than a constituency or an interest group, or even a movement. She will be remembered for her hats but, more importantly, for what was under her hat: her brains, her voice, and her heart. I am deeply indebted to Bella, and I know many women who feel the same way. I also know that there are women today who may not feel that Bella's loss has any connection to them. But I want to remind them about the rights Bella fought for and won on their behalf, rights so many of us now take for granted, or forget that women ever had to fight for them in the first place. Make no mistake, there is not an American woman alive who does not have more rights, commands more respect, or enjoys more opportunity as a result of Bella's work. Because of Bella Abzug, women today stand a little taller, walk a little prouder, and accept nothing less than they deserve. Bella broke through barriers, shattered glass ceilings, and woke people up. Even in her final years, when she was confined to a wheelchair, no woman stood taller in the fight for women's rights than Bella Abzug.”