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Where are the Women?, Fighting for Marriage Equality, Standing Up for Our Democracy

February 24, 2012
Pelosi Update

Where are the Women?
Last week, House Republicans held a hearing on women’s health, an issue that impacts millions of American women seeking safe and affordable coverage for basic preventive health care, including contraception. The Republican majority refused to allow a female witness put forward by the Democratic Members of the Committee to testify; instead, they began the hearing with an all-male panel of witnesses.

On Thursday, House Democrats held a hearing to hear from Ms. Sandra Fluke, a law student at Georgetown University and the witness blocked from testifying. During the hearing, Ms. Fluke spoke of the importance of affordable contraceptive coverage and shared stories of real women who would be affected by policies aimed at denying women access to basic preventive health care.

I have long supported a woman’s right to affordable and accessible reproductive health care and believe strongly that such care should be covered by insurance plans. Congress must work to promote women’s health, not weaken it. To read my remarks from the hearing, please visit my website.

Congresswoman Pelosi Thanks Ms. Sandra FlukeCongresswoman Pelosi thanks Ms. Sandra Fluke for her testimony on the impact of denying women coverage in health insurance plans at a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing.

Fighting for Marriage Equality
On Wednesday, the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was declared unconstitutional in a ruling by a U.S. District Court in the Northern District of California. This ruling is a victory for the liberty, civil rights, and equality of LGBT Americans and, indeed, all Americans. As a Member of Congress, I voted against DOMA when it come before the Congress in 1996. By declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, we can right a wrong of our past; we can move closer to ending a fundamental unfairness in our nation; and we can look forward to the day when we discard this discriminatory law in the dustbin of history.

Maryland also made history on Thursday when the state Senate passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage. The bill has already been approved by the state’s House of Delegates, and now heads to the Governor Martin O’Malley’s desk, where he is expected to sign the legislation into law.

This week, our country has taken solid steps toward a time when all of America’s families enjoy the blessings of equal protection under the law. As we celebrate an extraordinary moment in our nation’s history, we pledge to continue fighting – in the courts, in state legislatures, and in Congress – until all LGBT Americans are guaranteed fair treatment in our country.

Standing Up for Our Democracy
House Democrats are continuing the fight for disclosure to get unlimited, secret donations out of politics. Two years ago, the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC overturned a century of common-sense campaign finance laws and allowed unlimited corporate and special interest donations into our political campaigns. To restore transparency and fairness to our political process, House Democrats have introduced the Disclosure of Information on Spending on Campaigns Leads to Open and Secure Elections Act of 2012 (DISCLOSE 2012 Act). To learn more about the legislation and efforts to ‘DISCLOSE, Reform, & Amend’, please watch my interview this week with Stephen Colbert.

Watch House Hearings Online
Recently, the House announced a new initiative to consolidate House Committee Hearings onto one site. Previously, videos were only available on individual committee websites. To see live or recent committees hearings please click here.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.