Phil Gingrey: “Just on that thought, the other side of the aisle always takes a lot of credit for being the party of women's rights.…”

“Just on that thought, the other side of the aisle always takes a lot of credit for being the party of women's rights. Yet they are certainly overlooking a tremendous women's right in regard to this particular bill, and I think the gentlewoman from Florida was just alluding to that. Women live 4 or 5 years longer, maybe 85 years compared to us male counterparts, about 81 years. Many of them who work get into the workforce a little bit late in life, maybe they are choosing to raise a family, to be a mom, to be a grandmom; and they never quite catch up in their income level, even though in some instances they are doing the same work. And so more of them, a disproportionate share of women are the ones who are living and many times single at or near that Federal poverty level. They have got, Mr. Speaker, a great deal of health care needs, of course, and a lot of prescriptions, whether it is something for osteoporosis or high blood pressure, cholesterol or maybe even chemotherapy to control cancer. They are in desperate need. So I say to my colleagues across the aisle, if you want to truly be the party of women's rights, then you certainly ought to support this bill.”