As policymakers seek to avert the automatic spending cuts and tax increases that will otherwise take place on January 1, 2013, what do they need to know about women’s health and the federal budget? And what do American women need to know to protect their health as these talks proceed?
Divorce is a stressful situation for all involved. It upsets the balance of many things in life, such as personal well-being, family cohesion, and financial security. It can be hard to start a new life after a divorce, and unfortunately, many women may be starting it by losing their health coverage and becoming uninsured.
Having access to birth control keeps women in the driver's seat when making important decisions about their future, like when to take a major step in their career, when to start a family, or when to have a second child.
I am a 25-year-old underemployed recent college graduate. I received a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Maryland in the spring of 2010. When I graduated, I was offered a full-time position with an engineering firm that had several transportation contracts. As the economy stalled, so did those contracts, and I was laid off in the winter of 2012.
Since the Republicans took control of the House in January 2011, they have voted with shocking consistency and enthusiasm against common sense health care policies that benefit American women. According to a recent report published by House Democrats on the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Republican-controlled House has voted 55 times to “undermine women’s health, roll back women’s rights, and defund programs and institutions that provide health care and support for women.”
Representative Todd Akin’s recent remarks about abortion and his ire-provoking comments about “legitimate rape” serve as a woeful reminder of how Republican leaders have tried to distort national conversations concerning women’s health.
Last summer I learned a valuable lesson about what is at stake when women do not have power over their own health. I was interning at a maternal and child health nonprofit in southeastern Pennsylvania that works with local and state advocates to elevate the voices of disempowered mothers.
Having a baby is a wonderful and joyous experience, but it can also be expensive. Very expensive.
Families USA released a report last week that found more than 64.8 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with a pre-existing condition. And of those 64.8 million people, nearly 30 percent are women.
The House is expected to vote today on a Republican proposal to slash health care spending for low-income and middle-class families. Unfortunately, cutting services for America's families is becoming a familiar refrain of House Republicans.
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