Political Quotes

“I want to commend Subcommittee Chairman Pat Williams of the Committee on Education and Labor for his outstanding universal health care plan. It is based on a simple principle: Every person in this Nation has the right to decent and affordable health care. While some Americans have always had access to such care, others have not. It has been 3 years since the General Accounting Office [GAO] gave us the disturbing news that medical research was done mainly by men on men for men. This was compounded by reports that women received less aggressive treatment that men for heart disease and others serious illnesses. Since the release of that first GAO study, my Women's Caucus colleagues and I have been educating and advocating and fighting for equal attention to women's health. As our country moves toward a comprehensive health care system, we feel this is our best shot at guaranteeing that women's health--of which reproductive health is a significant part--is treated equal to men's. How can we do this?--By ensuring that women have direct access to ob/gyns without referral from a gate keeper; by demanding that comprehensive reproductive health services are covered as standard services; and by requiring that women are covered for regular mammograms and pap smears. In short, we can do this by passing the Williams bill. I hope you will join me in supporting this vital initiative to protect women's health and women's lives.”