Babette Josephs was a Democratic politician and attorney, who served 28 years in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
12 Facts About Babette Josephs
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Babette Josephs served as the Democratic chair of the House State Government Committee from 2001 to 2012.
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Babette Josephs was the senior woman in the General Assembly and convener of the Women's Caucus.
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Babette Josephs was one of a few members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to public office at the time.
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Before, during, and after her legislative tenure, Babette Josephs was involved with a number of civic organizations, including the Philadelphia chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, where she was a longtime board member, eventually serving as a Philadelphia-area delegate to the Board of the ACLU's statewide Pennsylvania affiliate.
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Babette Josephs was the co-founder of the National Abortion Rights Action League's Pennsylvania chapter, and of the Clara Bell Duvall Reproductive Freedom Project.
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Babette Josephs co-hosted "Conversations Across Time," a TV show that depicted challenging discussions with past historical personalities.
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Babette Josephs was active on the Justice for Nizah Morris Committee.
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Babette Josephs was active in the Philadelphia 8th Political Ward and served on the board of the Jewish Social Policy Action Network.
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In October 2001, Babette Josephs was the only House member to vote against a rule requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.
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Babette Josephs called Kravitz a "trust-fund baby" with no discernible job history who was running for the House because he was bored, a charge denied by Kravitz, who cited his work with a local congressional candidate.
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In 2012, Babette Josephs was defeated in the Democratic primary by Brian Sims by 226 votes.