FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 16, 2023

CLARKE APPLAUDS NEW WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON WOMEN’S HEALTH RESEARCH

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) released the following statement regarding the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of a new White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research led by First Lady Jill Biden and the Gender Policy Council:

“I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for establishing a new White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research aimed at fundamentally changing how the U.S. approaches research on women’s health to improve the overall health and lives of women nationwide. This Initiative will set priority areas of focus where there are much-needed investments to transform the lives of women everywhere, which includes fibroids and endometriosis along with Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular disease, and perimenopause and menopause.

“A little over five years ago, we lost the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio, a leader in women’s health and a beloved colleague and friend. Following her passing, my colleagues and I introduced the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act to fund uterine fibroid research at the National Institute of Health, improve awareness and training, and measure health system costs. Our legislation also focuses on the importance for providers and patients alike to recognize the disproportionate impact uterine fibroids have on women of color. An estimated 3-in-4 women will experience uterine fibroids in their lifetime, and Black women experience fibroids with greater frequency, more severely, and at younger ages than white women.

“The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and remove federal protection for abortion has further exacerbated our country’s health inequities, severely changing the landscape for low-income women and women of color. That’s why today is so important. The White House’s Initiative represents a strong demand by the American people to achieve real equity in women’s health. I look forward to continuing working alongside the administration to address and eliminate the persistent health disparities affecting women across the nation.”

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