Bella Abzug
In 1947, Bella Abzug began practicing labor law in New York, but her commitment to women's rights led her to politics. She was the first Jewish woman elected to Congress, and the first woman elected on a peace and women's rights platform. As her first congressional act, she introduced a resolution calling for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Southeast Asia. She introduced the bill that established Women's Equality Day on August 26, and was an early co-sponsor of both the Equal Rights Amendment and the Freedom of Information Act. Her support for universal childcare, reproductive rights, equal pay, and women's health and educational equity led the way for the enactment of key legislation. Bella Abzug was a champion for humanity and for women, and she was a lawyer.
Adapted from "Proud to Be a Lawyer…a Female Lawyer," by Victorial L. Vreeland and Karen K. Koehler, Bar News, October 2001.
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