Mourning the Loss of a Champion of Choice
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (1949-2008) NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio joins others across the country as we mourn the loss of Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She was a strong advocate for reproductive rights, and we recognized this dedication by honoring her as one of our first Champions of Choice in 2003. Our hearts go out to Congresswoman Tubbs Jones’ beloved son, family, staff and everyone who was lucky enough to count her as a friend. You can read NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio’s statement on the death of Congresswoman Tubbs Jones here. A memorial service has been scheduled from 11am on Saturday August 30th at the Cleveland Public Auditorium (in the Convention Center). Public viewing will be on Friday August 29th, from 8am-9pm at the Bethany Baptist Church, 1211 E. 105th Street, Cleveland, and from 8am-10am at the Auditorium before the memorial service. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones served the 11th District of Ohio from 1999 to 2008. She had a perfect pro-choice record every year she was in Congress. Over her nine years in Congress she: Fought to protect a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion. Congresswoman Tubbs Jones opposed efforts to outlaw safe abortion procedures She worked to ensure that women have access to mifepristone (RU 486) She opposed efforts to undermine Roe v. Wade with legislation that recognizes an embryo or fetus as a legal “person” Congresswoman Tubbs Jones voted to reject legislation that would impose an impossibly complex national patchwork of parental-notification mandates on doctors and young women She voted to ensure that federal employees have the freedom to select a health-insurance plan with abortion coverage She worked to repeal prohibitions against women in the military from exercising their right to choose
Fought to protect women’s access to contraception, both in the United States and abroad. She voted to overturn the global gag rule, which denies U.S. assistance to any overseas clinic that uses its own private funds to provide or counsel about abortion care Congresswoman Tubbs Jones supported efforts to reinstate U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund She voted to support legislation that would require federal employee health plans to cover contraception equally with other medications She supported women’s access to emergency contraception
In addition to her steadfast pro-choice voting record during her tenure, Congresswoman Tubbs Jones is also a co-sponsor of the pro-choice community’s two flagship pieces of legislation – the Freedom of Choice Act (H.R.1964) and the Prevention First Act (H.R.819).
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