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NARAL: Inouye was 'pro-choice champion'
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12/18/12 10:05 AM ET
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) received praise as a proponent of abortion rights after news broke late Monday of his death.
Inouye, 88, was the chamber's most senior member and third in line for the presidency. His voting record has been characterized as centrist to liberal and he strongly supported women's access to abortion, receiving a corresponding score of zero percent from the National Right to Life Committee for the 112th Congress.
"Sen. Inouye was a pro-choice champion for reproductive freedom," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, in a statement late Monday.
"The legacy he leaves behind is one committed to ensuring that all women could make the reproductive healthcare decisions that were best for them and their families."
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius also extended condolences in a statement Monday, calling Inouye a "trailblazer" and a "staunch champion" for her department.
"He was a strong advocate for advancing the health and well-being of the American people – from promoting biomedical research to addressing issues affecting veterans, Native Hawaiians, and American Indians and Alaska Natives," Sebelius said.
Inouye died of respiratory complications after being hospitalized at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.
He had served in the Senate for nine terms.
