ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. — State Rep. Mary Beth Canty, D-Arlington Heights, will continue her fight to defend fundamental rights, make smart and compassionate investments in critical services, and ensure women’s voices are heard in every conversation in Springfield as chair of the House Democratic Women’s Caucus.
“Being trusted with the responsibility of leading the women’s caucus is a privilege and a burden that I am eager to shoulder. We stand at a crossroads in which the hazards of extremist national trends are coming up against the will of a fierce coalition of committed female lawmakers determined to forge a future that doesn’t just stand up to those trends but yields progress beyond previous benchmarks.
Canty is leading the Illinois House Democratic Women’s Caucus, a coalition of 45 democratic female lawmakers united by the shared goals of promoting equal rights and ensuring equal opportunities for women. Canty will be joined by Rep. Suzanne Ness as the Vice Chair, Rep. Laura Faver Dias as Secretary and Rep. Maura Hirschauer as Treasurer.
“The right to bodily autonomy, the right to reproductive freedom, the right to equal compensation, even the right to determine employment status are under threat from right wing extremists led by the Trump administration and a deeply misguided Supreme Court. But in Illinois we don’t bend to those radical pressures. We are going to remain a haven from attacks against women that are all too common in other parts of this country. Great work has been done by other female legislators in my position, and I hope to continue their legacy this session.”