The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNIZING WOMEN'S HEALTH MONTH
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HON. SHONTEL M. BROWN
of ohio
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
Ms. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Women's Health Month. This month, we seek to empower women to make their health a priority and recommit to raising awareness of and addressing the conditions and diseases that impact women across America.
As a woman and as a Black Woman, I am keenly aware of the health challenges that disproportionately impact women of color. From maternal health and autoimmune diseases to mental health and various forms of cancer, women--especially women of color--experience a variety of unique health care issues. Expanding access to health care and improving outreach, awareness, prevention and treatment strategies is critically important.
This Women's Health Month, I would like to draw attention to Uterine Fibroids. More than 25 million American women suffer from Uterine Fibroids, and around 80 percent of Black Women can expect to experience them by age 50. This disease can be devastating to a woman's life and her reproductive health. It causes debilitating symptoms and can negatively impact fertility. Uterine fibroids are a serious public health challenge, and they expose and exacerbate underlying racial health disparities.
In the face of this challenge, we need more funding for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment interventions, as well as public education. That is why I am proud to cosponsor Congresswoman Yvette Clarke's landmark bill, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act. The bill, named after my esteemed predecessor in Ohio's Eleventh District who was a longtime champion for women's health issues during her time in Congress, would increase research funding for uterine fibroids.
Specifically, the bill would establish $150 million in research funding for the National Institute of Health and create a new public education program through the CDC. To help address the grave threat uterine fibroids pose to women of color, the bill specifically highlights the need to raise awareness of Uterine fibroids in the Black community.
I am proud to join Congresswoman Clarke and my other colleagues in supporting this critical bill, and I look forward to its swift consideration here in the House.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 94
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