“We must continue to work to expand women’s fundamental rights domestically and globally. I believe women are entitled to equal protection under the law, greater economic security, greater access to health care, the right to choose, and quality child care, and will continue to work in Congress to expand those rights.”

- Congresswoman Barbara Lee

Promoting Equal Rights for Women

Rep. Lee is a member of the Women’s Caucus and a leader on women’s rights. She has consistently fought to uphold fairness and equality for women. She supported the following legislation that promotes equal rights for women:

• Co-sponsored H.J.Res. 40 which proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the U.S. to provide equal rights for men and women
• Supported H.R. 3624, the Older Women’s Protection from Violence Act, to ensure protection and improvement of outreach effort and services for older women who are victims of domestic violence and sexual assaults
• Co-sponsored H.Res. 18 to encourage the Senate to ratify convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
• Passed an amendment to the Housing Affordability for America Act to end evictions under the one-strike policy for victims of domestic violence in public housing
• Passed H.Res. 97, to recognize the enduring contributions and heroic achievements of Shirley Anita Chisholm, the first African American woman to run for President of the U.S., whose work has significantly improved the lives and status of women

Ensuring Economic Security for Women

Rep. Lee has fought to bridge the economic gap between men and women. She has supported the following legislation to ensure economic security for women:

• Co-sponsored H.R. 781, the Paycheck Fairness Act, which provides more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex
• Co-sponsored H.R. 1362, the Fair Pay Act, which prohibits employers from pay discrimination based on sex or race between employees who perform equal work value
• Co-sponsored H.R. 766, the Comprehensive Women’s Pension Protection Act, to provide comprehensive pension protection for women

Protecting Reproductive Rights

Rep. Lee is a member of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She works diligently to protect a woman’s right to choose. Her votes have earned her 100% ratings from nationally recognized pro-choice organizations such as NARAL and Planned Parenthood. Rep. Lee has:

• Introduced H.R. 3469, the Family Life Education Act, a bill that aims to reduce adolescent pregnancy, HIV rates, and other sexually transmitted diseases, by providing federal funds for comprehensive sex education in schools
• Supported the Sanchez amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 2586, to strike current law prohibiting women in military facilities overseas to obtain abortion services
• Supported the DeGette Amendment to the Commerce, Justice, State, and Judiciary Appropriations bill, H.R. 2500, to allow funding for abortion services for women in federal prisons
• Strongly opposed the “Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act,” which bans a range of late-term abortion procedures and imposes criminal penalties for physicians who perform the procedures
• Voted against H.R. 503, the “Unborn Victims of Violence Act,” which recognizes the rights of an unborn fetus separate from those of its mother. H.R. 503 provides that an individual who causes the death of, or bodily injury to, a fetus shall receive punishment for harming two persons, the mother and the “unborn child”

Advocating for Women’s Health

Rep. Lee has been a champion of women’s health issues throughout her career. As Co-Chair of the Universal Health Care Task Force, she works with her colleagues to establish health care for all individuals. Rep. Lee has also:

• Co-sponsored H.R. 536, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, to require health insurance coverage for minimum hospital stays for breast cancer patients
• Co-sponsored H.Con.Res. 385 to endorse health insurance coverage for testing and screening for ovarian cancer
• Supported H.R. 2874, the Debbie Smith Act, a legislation to establish minimum standards for the handling of sexual assault cases and to require that medical and law enforcement personnel meet these standards
• Co-sponsored H.R. 1111, the Equity in Insurance and Contraceptive Coverage Act, to require equitable coverage of prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, and contraceptive services under health plans
• Introduced legislation to ensure all hormone replacement therapies for menopause, including both prescription and alternative treatments, would be covered by insurance for menopausal women

Improving the Lives of Women Globally

Rep. Lee is on the International Relations Committee and has been a strong advocate of human rights around the world. She works to alleviate the standards of living of women and expand their fundamental rights on a global scale. Rep. Lee has:

• Introduced an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act to overturn the dangerous global gag rule, also known as the Mexico City policy. Rep. Lee’s amendment would continue family planning funding for international organizations in developing nations
• Supported H. Res. 281 to increase the support for organizations led by Afghan women that provide education, health, and relief services in Afghanistan and for the Afghan refugees in neighboring countries
• Co-sponsored H. Con. Res. 349 which calls for an end to the sexual exploitation of refugees
• Passed an amendment to H.R. 3994, the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act, to provide resources to be sent to the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs to carry out its responsibilities for legal advocacy, education, vocational training, and women's health programs

Defending the Rights of Children

Rep. Lee is an advocate of children in the U.S. as well as abroad. She is a member of the Child Care Caucus, which serves to protect the rights of children. Rep. Lee:

• Co-sponsored H.R. 1900, the Act to Leave No Child Behind, which provides an increase in the minimum wage, expands family and medical leave programs, and provides health coverage for children
• Co-sponsored H.R. 2097, the Child Care Quality Incentive Act, to establish a program of incentive grants to States to improve the quality of, and access to, child care by increasing child care payment rates
• Supported H.R. 265, the Right Start Act, to increase the availability and affordability of quality child care and early learning services
• Co-sponsored H.R. 3675, the Improved Maternal and Children’s Health Coverage Act, to improve the coverage of needy children under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the Medicaid Program
• Co-sponsored H.R. 1429, the After School Education and Anti-Crime Act, to improve academic and social outcomes for students and reduce both juvenile crime and risk that youth will become victims of crime by providing productive activities during after school hours

Global Gag Rule a.k.a. Mexico City Policy Fact Sheet

What is the Mexico City International Family Planning Policy?

In 1984, President Reagan issued a directive during the Mexico City Conference on Population which would prohibit foreign nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) receiving population aid from the United States from using their OWN funds for providing abortion services and from holding discussions on possible abortion services. (Note: U.S. money for abortion overseas has been prohibited since 1973).
History:

1973 Helms Amendment: Senator Helms (R-NC) passed a law prohibiting U.S. aid from being used directly to pay for the performance of an abortion as a method of family planning or for involuntary sterilizations overseas

1984 Reagan Policy:

In August of 1984 at the International Conference of Population in Mexico City, the Reagan Administration announced that it would further restrict U.S. population aid by terminating U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) support for any organizations (but not governments) that were involved in voluntary abortion activities, even if such activities were undertaken with non-U.S. funds.

1993 Clinton Executive Memo:

On January 22, 1993, President Clinton issued a Memorandum repealing the Mexico City restrictions. The executive order allowed recipients of USAID grants to use non-U.S. funds for providing abortion services, but were required to maintain segregated accounts for U.S. money in order to show evidence they were in compliance with the abortion restrictions.

FY2000 Appropriations:

The Mexico City Policy restrictions were enacted in the FY2000 Foreign Operations Appropriations Act as part of a compromise between President Clinton and Congressional Republicans to pay U.N. arrears. The terms of the compromise allowed the President to waive some of the requirements in return for a reduction in population assistance funding.

FY2001 Appropriations:

In FY2001 appropriations, Congress increased population assistance and did not reenact the Mexico City Policy, but instead inserted language to prevent USAID from obligating any of the funds until February 15, 2001, allowing the new President to put in place any restrictions or conditions on the family planning program.

2001 Bush Executive Memo:

On January 22, 2001, President George W. Bush issued a Memorandum prohibiting recipients of federal funds from promoting or providing abortion services, counseling or information regarding the availability of abortions using non-U.S. government funds, thus re-instating the Mexico City Policy.

Impact of Mexico City Policy:

The Mexico City policy restricts international family planning organizations by forcing them to turn down needed family planning money.

Family planning organizations and development experts have argued that by placing these restrictions on population assistance, the Administration is making it more difficult to provide assistance to family planning programs in developing countries. Family planning funding helps curb the spread of sexually transmitted diseases which directly helps countries elevate out of their third world status, through utilizing proper population control mechanisms. Family planning funDing is essential to saving lives. This funding could lead to an increase in the number of unintended pregnancies and ultimately, the number of abortions in direct contradiction of President Bush's stated goal of reducing the number of abortions worldwide.

Rep. Lee's (D-CA) Pro-Family Planning Amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act will increase access to family planning worldwide and repeal President Bush's executive memo that reinstates the Mexico City policy which denies federal funds to family planning organizations that provide abortion counseling or services overseas, using their OWN non-U.S. government funds. (This amendment gags the gag rule by attaching the text of H.R. 755, the bipartisan Global Democracy Act.)

Lee Amendment Supporters

NARAL, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Center for Reproductive Law and Policy, National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, Population Action International, National Council of Jewish Women, ZPG, National Wildlife Foundation, Center for Health and Gender Equity, National Partnership for Women and Families, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the ACLU.

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