Betty Ford returned to her home state of Michigan after a memorial service held Tuesday in California. Today, after her funeral in East Grand Rapids, she was buried next to her husband, former President Gerald R. Ford.
Betty Ford at her husband's funeral
Right after her husband took office, Mrs. Ford was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She discussed the formerly taboo subject openly, encouraging other women to do the same. Mrs. Ford hoped that it would raise awareness about the disease and promote research. She also actively supported women's rights and was an outspoken member of the Women's Rights Movement. She advocated for the ERA and lobbied state legislatures to ratify the amendment. As a proponent of Pro-Choice, she didn't hesitate to make her views public, in a time when political wives didn't do that sort of thing.
The"Fighting First Lady", as Time dubbed her, battled alcoholism and an addiction to pain pills that she was forced to confront in 1978, when her family held an intervention. After her recovery, she established the Betty Ford Clinic in Rancho Mirage, California so people with chemical dependencies would have an opportunity to beat the addiction. Her accomplishments have implications that will have impact far beyond the 93 years she lived.
I am proud to have grown up in a state that produced a woman with the courage to speak openly about so many issues, despite those who urged her to remain silent. She presented women with a role model that opened doors and showed them the power of their words and actions. Mrs. Ford was immensely relatable because she had struggled and overcome many personal obstacles. May her spirit live on through the women who understand their responsibility to foster political action in a free society.
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