Lizzie Fletcher: “This night, and this Women's History Month, together with my colleagues in the Pro-Choice Caucus, I rise in support of…”

“This night, and this Women's History Month, together with my colleagues in the Pro-Choice Caucus, I rise in support of the women of the reproductive rights movement. Women who stood up, spoke out, and reached out to protect the rights of women in this country to determine whether and when to become parents. Of course, this work required and requires to this day, a broad, bold coalition of people, people whose work has necessitated tremendous sacrifice and has resulted in tremendous progress. Some of them were denied access to contraception, abortion care, and healthcare, and agreed to become the face of legal challenges. Some of them were strategists who shaped the arguments that became the fabric of legal protections for reproductive rights. Some of them were healthcare providers who saw the tragic consequences of the denial of those rights. As a lawyer, I have known some of their names through the landmark cases that bear them--Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade, and more. Tonight, we celebrate them, we celebrate their courage, their commitment, and their purpose in articulating, advocating, and ensuring the rights to equality, privacy, and dignity that their work represents. Before yielding to my colleagues who are here this evening in person and in spirit, I will start with one of them who holds a special place in this work and in my own life.…”