Rep. Tammy Duckworth gives birth to daughter

CHICAGO, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Rep. Tammy Duckworth has given birth to a daughter.

Abigail O'kalani Bowlsbey was born Tuesday, Duckworth, D-Ill., said in a statement. The 46-year-old Duckworth is a first-time mother.

Duckworth's pregnancy became an issue earlier this week when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi refused to bend the long-standing rule that House members must be present to vote in leadership elections. Duckworth had requested to be allowed to vote by proxy because she was advised by her doctor not to travel back to Washington in the final weeks of her pregnancy.

Duckworth, daughter of a Thai mother and U.S. father, was born in Thailand and spent some of her childhood in Honolulu.

"Bryan and I were deeply honored that Senator Akaka acted as Hawaiian elder and selected her middle name," referring to Daniel Akaka, who left the Senate in 2013.

Duckworth's helicopter was hit by a grenade on Nov. 12, 2004, a date she now calls "Alive Day." She recently announced her retirement as a lieutenant colonel in the Illinois National Guard.

She was elected to a second term in Congress earlier this month.