Record-Breaking 160 Reproductive Freedom Caucus Members, New Leaders Introduced on Roe v. Wade Anniversary
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus (RFC) Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) introduced the record-breaking 160 original members of the Caucus and four new appointments to the leadership team: Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) promoted to Vice Chair and Caucus Whip, Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) appointed Abortion Rights and Access Task Force Chair, Rep. Emilia Sykes (OH-13) appointed Reproductive Justice Task Force Chair, and Kelly Morrison (MN-03) appointed Caucus Freshmen Representative for the 119th Congress. The Caucus also announced its newest Task Force: the Reproductive Justice Task Force.
“Today marks 52 years since Roe v. Wade. Three of these anniversaries have now passed since millions of Americans were stripped of their right to abortion, privacy, and reproductive freedom. To make matters worse, it’s been two days since the architect behind the fall of Roe returned to the White House to roll back those rights even more,” said Co-Chairs Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07). “And yet, as we begin the 119th Congress, our Caucus' original membership stands a historic 160 reproductive freedom champions strong. We are thrilled to welcome back our Caucus' fearless Whip, Representative Lizzie Fletcher, as she takes on the role of Vice-Chair and to welcome three new leaders to the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, including our Caucus' first OB/GYN! Our leadership team is stronger thanks to these Members' expertise and commitment to reproductive freedom. Two of our returning champions will be joining the leadership team for the first time: Representative Jennifer McClellan, the new Chair of our Abortion Rights and Access Task Force and Representative Emilia Sykes, who will be the inaugural Chair of our Caucus' new Reproductive Justice Task Force. And we welcome Representative Kelly Morrison, Freshman Representative for the 119th Congress freshman class. Each of these Members has served the people (and patients) who sent them here with grace and grit, and it is a privilege to fight alongside them for a reproductive freedom future for all.”
“I am proud to work with my colleagues as Vice Chair and Whip of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, where I will bring the perspective of Texas women, who have been at the forefront of securing our rights and are now living in a state intent on taking them away,” said Vice Chair & Whip Lizzie Fletcher. “I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Caucus as we work to protect the health, equality, dignity, and freedom of all Americans to make their own reproductive health care decisions.”
“As the chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, I will fight to protect access to comprehensive reproductive health care for families across the country,” said Task Force Chair Jennifer McClellan. “On this 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, 1 in 3 women of reproductive age live in a state with an abortion ban. As a result of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, we have seen women suffering miscarriages forced to sit in a parking lot until they are septic because hospitals in these states fear to provide the treatment they need. During the Trump-Vance Administration, we know the Reproductive Freedom Caucus's work will be more important than ever. I will work with my colleagues, advocates, patients and providers to safeguard Americans’ ability to make their own reproductive health decisions in consultation with their providers and ensure they have access to comprehensive reproductive health care when they need it.”
“For more than twenty years, I have had the honor and privilege of caring for Minnesotans as an OB-GYN. I have seen firsthand how critical it is for women to have the ability to make their own health care decisions – without interference from the government,” said Freshman Representative Kelly Morrison. “As Congress’ first and only pro-choice OB-GYN, I am thrilled to be joining my colleagues on the Reproductive Freedom Caucus to advocate every day for women’s freedom to access the lifesaving health care they need and deserve.”
On the 52nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling, for the first time in 30 years, the Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus, formally known as the Pro-Choice Caucus, has 160 Members signed on from the start of the Congress, ready to help protect and defend reproductive rights. In addition, the RFC will continue expanding on its efforts to promote reproductive freedom, rights, and justice with the inaugural Reproductive Justice Task Force, focused on uplifting the core values and affirmative goals of the reproductive justice movement and the intersectional impacts of reproductive health care restrictions on marginalized communities. This task force will be Chaired by Emilia Sykes (OH-13) as Chair.
“Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade two and a half years ago, extreme, out-of-touch politicians have repeatedly attacked women’s access to reproductive health care from abortion, to birth control, to IVF – and these efforts disproportionately affect women in marginalized communities. As Chair of the Reproductive Justice Task Force, I’ll continue to defend every woman's right to make the best health care decisions for herself and her family in consultation with whom she chooses,” said Task Force Chair Emilia Sykes.
See and share this news on X here and Bluesky here; Read the Co-Chairs’ full statement on the Roe v. Wade anniversary on X here and Bluesky here.
LEADERSHIP
Diana DeGette (CO-01) Co-Chair
Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) Co-Chair
Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) Vice Chair & Whip
Norma Torres (CA-35) Vice Chair
Kelly Morrison (MN-03) Freshman Representative
TASK FORCE CHAIRS
Julia Brownley (CA-26), VA, Servicemembers, and Veterans
Judy Chu (CA-28), Contraception, Family Planning, and Education
Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Restriction Impacts
Ted Lieu (CA-36), Legal and Judiciary
Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Abortion Rights and Access
Grace Meng (NY-06), International Women’s Rights
Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Executive Branch
Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Reproductive Justice
MEMBERS
Reps. Pete Aguilar, Jake Auchincloss, Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Wesley Bell, Ami Bera, Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Brendan Boyle, Shontel Brown, Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, Andre Carson, Troy Carter, Ed Case, Sean Casten, Kathy Castor, Joaquin Castro, Gil Cisneros, Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Herb Conaway, Gerald E. Connolly, Joe Courtney, Angie Craig, Jasmine Crockett, Jason Crow, Sharice Davids, Madeleine Dean, Rosa Delauro, Chris Deluzio, Mark DeSaulnier, Maxine Dexter, Debbie Dingell, Lloyd Doggett, Veronica Escobar, Adriano Espaillat, Dwight Evans, Bill Foster, Valerie Foushee, Lois Frankel, Laura Friedman, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, John Garamendi, Sylvia Garcia, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Dan Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Josh Gottheimer, Al Green, Raul Grijalva, Jahana Hayes, Jim Himes, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Steven Horsford, Chrissy Houlahan, Val Hoyle, Jared Huffman, Glenn Ivey, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Hank Johnson, Julie Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Timothy Kennedy, Ro Khanna, Greg Landsman, Rick Larsen, George Latimer, Susie Lee, Summer Lee, Teresa Leger Fernández, Mike Levin, Seth Magaziner, Lucy McBath, April McClain Delaney, Morgan McGarvey, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Gregory Meeks, Rob Menendez, Dave Min, Gwen Moore, Joe Morelle, Seth Moulton, Kevin Mullin, Jerrold Nadler, Joe Neguse, Donald Norcross, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Johnny Olszewski, Ilhan Omar, Frank Pallone, Jimmy Panetta, Chris Pappas, Nancy Pelosi, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Jamie Raskin, Josh Riley, Deborah Ross, Raul Ruiz, Patrick Ryan, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sanchez, Mary Gay Scanlon, Bradley Schneider, Hillary Scholten, Kim Schrier, David Scott, Robert Scott, Brad Sherman, Mikie Sherrill, Lateefah Simon, Adam Smith, Eric Sorensen, Darren Soto, Melanie Stansbury, Greg Stanton, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, Suhas Subramanyam, Eric Swalwell, Mark Takano, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Lori Trahan, Derek Tran, Lauren Underwood, Juan Vargas, Gabe Vasquez, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, Eugene Vindman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Nikema Williams.
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