Last week, US Senator Patty Murray led a noisy campaign condemning the Susan G. Komen foundation's decision to defund Planned Parenthood breast cancer screenings—she appeared on MSNBC, she sent routine email blasts criticizing their decision, and she helped round up 24 other US Senators to sign a letter condemning the breast cancer charity's action.

Today, Senator Murray kept the ball rolling and once again stood up—this time on the Senate floor—to fight for women's healthcare. You can watch her entire speech here, but here's my favorite part:

“On Friday, Komen did the right thing and announced that they had reversed their initial decision—and I want to commend them for that. Because their mission—and their great work in the fight against breast cancer—is just too important to get mixed up in partisan politics.

“But Mr. President, although this reversal was a great victory for so many women across America, let’s be clear: Our fight for women’s health does not end here. There are still many who will continue to put partisan politics ahead of women’s health—and we need to make sure the grassroots support and energy that successfully came together to right this wrong last week, continues to stand firm against each and every attack that comes our way.

“Because Mr. President—we know the attacks are coming. Republicans in the House of Representatives have been waging a war on women’s health since the moment they came into power.

“After campaigning across the country on a platform of jobs and the economy, the first three bills they introduced were direct attacks on women’s health in America. The very first one, H.R. 1, would have totally eliminated Title X funding for family planning and teen pregnancy prevention. And it included an amendment that would have completely defunded Planned Parenthood and cut off support for the millions of women who count on it.

“Another one of their opening round of bills would have permanently codified the Hyde Amendment and the D.C. abortion ban—and the original version of their bill didn’t even include an exception for the health of the mother.

“And finally, they introduced a bill right away that would have rolled back every single one of the gains we made for women in the health care reform bill. The Republican bill would have removed the caps on out-of-pocket expenses that protect women from losing their homes or their life savings if they get sick. It would have ended the ban on lifetime limits on coverage. It would have allowed insurance companies to once again discriminate against women by charging them higher premiums or even denying women care because of so-called pre-existing conditions—like pregnancy.

“And Mr. President—it would have rolled back the guarantee that insurance companies cover contraceptives, which will save the overwhelming majority of women who use them hundreds of dollars a year. We know ensuring access to effective birth control is directly linked to declines in maternal and infant mortality, reduced risk of ovarian cancer, better overall health outcomes for women, and far fewer unintended pregnancies and abortions—which is a goal we all should share."

I am so incredibly proud—and thankful—to have Senator Murray representing me on this issue.