Take Action to Protect Women's Health

Whether or not you voted for Barak Obama, women's health advocates, and women everywhere will benefit from his leadership and policy decisions. From funding for planned parenthood to stem cell research and Hillary Clinton's appointment as Secretary of State, there is a sea change occuring that will impact women's health now, for our daughters and granddaughters, and as we age.

Not everyone is aware that women's health is more than reproductive health. In fact, women's health encompasses heart health, depression, Alzheimer's, and other conditions that primarily affect women. Just to give you one perspective, there are 700 medicines in development that will impact women's quality of life.

However, closing the health care gap that leads to inadequate women's health services depends on effective leadership that can guide research, education and outreach to the areas of greatest need in women’s health. That is the role played by women’s health offices in our key federal health agencies:

Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Health Resources and Services Administration
For years, these offices have done great work advancing women’s health, but they can do so much more. Right now, they operate in a climate of uncertainty and instability because their offices are not written into law. They could be eliminated or have their funding slashed at any time.

To bolster women’s health and give these offices the secure footing they need to do their job, the Society for Women's Health Research has introduced the bipartisan Women’s Health Office Act (HR 1072 and S 612), which provides the offices with permanent authorization. Enacting this law will demonstrate America’s commitment to women’s health. With your help, we can make it a reality.

Please use your voice to express support of HR 1072/S 612. Your voice, together with the voices of thousands of American women, will ensure that women’s health receives the careful, focused attention it deserves.

Sincerely,

The Honorable Olympia J. Snowe (R- ME)
U.S. Senate The Honorable Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
U.S. Senate
The Honorable Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY, 14th District)
U.S. House of Representatives The Honorable Deborah Pryce (R-OH, 15th District)
U.S. House of Representatives

Click here to send a letter to your own members of Congress, asking them to cosponsor the Women’s Health Office Act.