Rep. Mark Pocan Honors Late FFRF Co-Founder for Congressional Record July 7, 2015

Rep. Mark Pocan Honors Late FFRF Co-Founder for Congressional Record

Earlier today, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) stood on the House floor and honored Freedom From Religion Foundation principal founder Anne Nicol Gaylor — who died last month — for the Congressional Record.

Anne Nicol Gaylor at her 80th birthday party (via Annie Laurie Gaylor)

According to FFRF, this is what he said:

Mr. Speaker,

I rise today to recognize a constituent who dedicated her life’s work to advancing principles of justice and fairness in her community, her state, and her country.

Anne Nicol Gaylor began her life in a small town near Tomah, Wisconsin. After graduating high school at age 16 and earning a degree from University of Wisconsin-Madison, she became a businesswoman and editor at Middleton Times Tribune where she successfully transformed the publication into an award-winning weekly. Anne notably founded the Women’s Medical Fund which has raised and donated nearly $3 million to low-income women who lack access to healthcare services. Throughout her career, Anne remained involved with the Women’s Medical Fund and was a tireless advocate for women’s rights.

In 1976, Anne founded the Freedom from Religion Foundation, the nation’s leading defender in the fight to protect and preserve the separation of church and state. This organization grew from a small group of committed individual’s discussing the advancement of civil liberties into a major national organization with more than 23,000 members.

Throughout her retirement, she remained active in the Women’s Medical Fund, dedicating her time to providing direct service to those in need. Thanks to her tireless leadership, Anne received a number of prestigious awards and recognitions, including the Humanist Heroine Award from the American Humanist Association, Wisconsin National Organization for Women’s Feminist of the Year Award, and NARAL’s Tiller Award. These outstanding achievements and recognitions are a testimony to Anne’s resilient spirit and tireless advocacy on behalf of the issues closest to her heart.

Anne’s commitment to community and work as an activist, feminist, and free-thinker have been invaluable to Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I recognize Ms. Anne Nicol Gaylor today.

Stand by for conservatives making a fuss over a member of Congress formally honoring a notable church/state separation and abortion activist.

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