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We were joined by another group of women from the Center for Reproductive Rights who work in New York City, but live and vote in New Jersey. Together we urged Senator Lautenberg's legislative assistant and counsel, Veronica Veldivieso, to relay to him our hope that he would ensure that the Stupak language was not incorporated into the final bill. Veldivieso told us that the Senator's mail was pretty evenly balanced between those favoring and opposing Stupak, proof that lobbying is a two-way street.
Overall, we felt pleased with our conversation with Senator Lautenberg's aide and went off to join the noon rally. I estimated that there were close to a thousand people taking part in Lobby Day, a number later confirmed by Planned Parenthood. The speakers-including members of Congress and the House-continued to fill us with energy and excitement about our presence.
Senator Barbara Boxer of California assured us that "we will win." She branded the Stupak amendment "radical" and predicted that if it were included in the final legislation, it would "result in the biggest rollback of women's rights in three decades."
She added: "We must expand access to health care, not restrict it. Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, and the Stupak amendment wants to chip away at it."
The rally over, we left for our meeting with Senator Robert Menendez, who has a reputation for solid support of reproductive health issues. Jackie Cornell-Bechelli of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey reminded us that Senator Menendez had received an annual 100 percent rating on his voting record from Planned Parenthood during his political career.
Menendez's words to us were upbeat. As a member of the Finance Committee, he knows the particulars of the Senate bill being debated on the floor. He told us that health care legislation, when passed, will "bend the cost curve, end insurance rejection for pre-existing conditions, end discrimination based on gender, and cover 31 million more Americans who are presently not covered." He also assured us that "we will win" and there will be no Stupak amendment language in the final Senate bill.
But Senator Menendez framed his final words carefully and with caution: "Let's hear your voices. Gin it up. Write Letters to the Editor in your newspapers – the opposition is very good at doing this – and keep your eye on the destination." He ended by quoting the wise words of Adlai Stevenson, twice the Democratic candidate for president: "When I feel the heat from home, I see the light in Washington."
It was damp and rainy when we left the marble halls of the Capitol and headed for the train back to New Jersey. We felt elated with the process and by the progress of the day. A small band of women, we had joined a thousand others, walked up and down the corridors noting the offices of Senators from many regions of our nation, listened in a large group to one of our Senators, and chatted briefly with the other. Both had listened with politeness and patience and had reassured us that the chances for the issue about which we cared deeply looked good.
I personally came away with a renewed sense of respect for our democracy and its tradition of letting every voice be heard. I thought to myself: "Indeed, we are a nation of laws, and all of us have a voice in shaping them, if we will use it. ... We are a country ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people.' "
On Dec. 8th, the Senate by a vote of 55-45 rejected the anti-choice Nelson-Hatch amendment, which would have added the Stupak language to the health care reform bill under debate. Planned Parenthood Federation of America called it a "huge victory."
Let's hear it for the women who lobby.
Susie Wilson, former executive coordinator of the Network for Family Life Education at Rutgers University's Center for Applied and Professional Psychology (now renamed Answer), is a national leader in the fight for effective sexuality and HIV/AIDS education and for prevention of adolescent pregnancy. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
