[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 64 (Monday, May 10, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         HONORING BETTY BENJAMIN

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, today I congratulate and honor my 
friend, Betty Benjamin from Minneapolis, who last Saturday celebrated 
her 80th birthday. She has lived an extraordinary and outstanding 80 
years.
   Raised on a farm near Redwood Falls, MN, Betty studied social work 
at Hamline University, where she met her future husband, Robert 
Benjamin, a pre-med student from Pipestone, MN. During the mid- to late 
1960s, Betty was busy raising her family, but somehow she found time to 
become a committed leader in the local movement to reform the existing 
abortion laws. Recognizing her determination and natural leadership, 
her friends and colleagues asked her to become the president of two 
women's organizations; the Edina League of Women Voters and the 
Minnesota Organization for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. The latter 
organization later became the Minnesota Chapter of the National 
Abortion Rights Action League.
   When Betty became the leader of Minnesota's pro-choice community, 
abortion was an illegal procedure. Driven by her professional 
experience as a social worker and her deeply held belief that women 
should have the freedom to make their own decisions about their own 
bodies and lives, Betty was committed to see the abortion laws 
repealed. With her family by her side, Betty dedicated everything to 
the movement--her time, her energy, and even her home. To save valuable 
resources, the organization met in a spare room at the Benjamins' house 
in suburban Minneapolis for more than 5 years. Opening her home to 
other abortion rights advocates allowed Betty to stay connected to the 
statewide, grassroots organizing plan she shaped. At one point, Betty 
organized a Board of Directors that featured a resident from each of 
Minnesota's 67 legislative districts. Most importantly, making the 
organization's base of operations her home enabled Betty to be a loving 
and devoted mother. And what a role model she was to her three 
children! Day after day, she demonstrated the values of hard work and 
persistence and that one person can truly make an imprint on social 
policy.
   While the organization eventually outgrew the Benjamins' spare room, 
Betty has never outgrown the organization and the fight. A steady 
source of inspiration and encouragement to all in the movement, Betty 
continues to serve on the Minnesota NARL Foundation Board of Directors.
   At 80 years of age, Betty's activism and passion still spill out of 
the boardroom and onto the streets. Two weeks ago, she flew from 
Minneapolis to Washington, DC, to participate in the largest march ever 
for women's reproductive rights. Once again, she stood strong with her 
fellow Americans, this time over a million, to protect the rights she 
fought to secure for women more than 30 years ago.
   I stand here on the Senate floor today to honor Mrs. Betty Benjamin 
on her 80th birthday and to thank her for her continued commitment and 
dedication. May God grace us with her presence and her passion for many 
years to come.

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