"And this is the cause of my life -- new hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American -- north, south, east, west, young, old -- will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege."

-- Sen. Edward Kennedy (1932-2009)

While Sen. Kennedy touched all our hearts and fought for a host of progressive issues, the cause that he's most closely associated with is winning the fight to give everyone quality, affordable health care.  Because of his health issues, he went so far as to resign his seat from the Senate Judiciary Committee so he could focus his energies on health care reform.  Unfortunately, he did not live to see his lifelong dream become a reality.

On July 15, Kennedy's last bill, the Affordable Health Choices Act, passed out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and is waiting consideration by the full Senate.  It is a bill that brought people to the table -- Republicans and Democrats, doctors and patient advocates, health insurance companies, labor unions, and others.

Write to your Senators, and ask them to honor the extraordinary career and legacy of Sen. Kennedy by passing his bill, the Affordable Health Choices Act, into law.