For over three decades, I have served alongside incredibly brave women in the Ohio Army National Guard who continue to put their lives on the line for our country. However, these women should not needlessly put their health on the line when we can prevent it.

That’s why earlier this month I introduced a bipartisan amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directly aimed at better understanding the unique health needs of women serving in the military. It will direct the Secretary of Defense to submit a report that summarizes the findings of the Millennium Cohort Study that relates to women’s health. The amendment will also identify areas for improvement in researching these issues and have a course of action to address any shortcomings.

This simple amendment is a great starting point to understanding the specific short- and long-term impacts of service on women’s health. If we seize this window of opportunity to learn the effects of service on women now, we can save individuals, researchers, and hospitals a great deal of time and resources in the future.

The great news is, the information that we need already exists. The Millennium Cohort Study has been gathering data since 1999 in order to understand the “impact of military exposures on long-term health outcomes” on both male and female soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors. 

These women fought for our country, it is time that we fight for their health. We owe it to these women to make an investment into understanding their unique needs right now that will result in savings in resources, and lives, later on. My bipartisan amendment takes steps to create a plan of action to ensure that the over 200,000 women serving in our military, both in Ohio's 15th Congressional District, and throughout the nation have the care that they have earned and deserve.

If you would like to learn more about this amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, or any other matters related to improving the quality of life for our servicemembers and their families, please call my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-2015, my Hilliard office at (614) 771-4968, my Lancaster office at (740) 654-2654, or my Wilmington office at (937) 283-7049.