By Claire Garretson, SWHR Communications Intern
Women’s Equality Day marks the anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which prohibits states from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. The 19th Amendment went into effect in 1920, thanks to the tireless work of thousands of women and allies who advocated for women’s right to vote. While women and other populations continued to face difficulty accessing the voting booth even after 1920, the passage of the 19th Amendment was a critical turning point in expanding voting rights and promoting political engagement across the country. Today, the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) encourages you to celebrate Women’s Equality Day by getting civically engaged and becoming an advocate for women’s health.
Policy is a powerful tool for advancing women’s health care. In 1993, the NIH Revitalization Act mandated the inclusion of women and minorities in research – expanding clinical trials to be more inclusive of all impacted populations. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became law, expanding women’s access to insurance coverage and benefits through the health care system. In 2012, Congress passed a law requiring the FDA to report on sex, race, and ethnicity, and in 2016, the NIH implemented the official policy on Sex as a Biological Variable, declaring that “[the NIH] expects that sex as a biological variable will be factored into research designs, analyses, and reporting in vertebrate animal and human studies.” SWHR supported all of these policies and continues to support legislation that improves women’s health outcomes across the lifespan: learn more about SWHR’s role in women’s health advancements in the SWHR timeline. These initiatives would have been impossible without large-scale advocacy; individual advocacy has a proven history of making a meaningful difference.
There are many opportunities to be an advocate for women’s health, and SWHR offers resources for understanding contemporary legislative priorities and being an advocate for change this Women’s Equality Day and all year:
The Endometriosis CARE Act
The Endometriosis Coverage, Awareness, Research, and Education (CARE) Act seeks to advance endometriosis research, expand access to treatment, and improve public awareness of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease in which tissue that resembles that in the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) grows outside the uterus where it does not belong. Endometriosis is estimated to affect one in 10, or approximately 6.5 million, women in the United States – although many women experience significant delays in diagnosis and treatment and are not represented in this statistic.
SWHR has supported the Endometriosis CARE Act since it was first introduced by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood in 2022 and again in its reintroduction by Congresswoman Nikema Williams in May 2024. In 2023, members from the SWHR Endometriosis Education Working Group met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to educate them about the challenges of living with endometriosis and the importance of prioritizing endometriosis research funding. SWHR’s newly released Endometriosis Advocacy Toolkit is a free resource to guide individuals in reaching out to their congressional representatives and asking for increased funding for endometriosis care, building on the Society’s ongoing work in the space, including with partners like Endo What?, Endo Black, Inc., Endometriosis Foundation of America, and The Endo Co.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act
The Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act seeks to increase research funding for uterine fibroids and improve awareness and training to treat fibroids. Uterine fibroids (leiomyomas) are tumors composed of smooth muscle and fibrous connective tissue that arise from the uterus and are one of the most common gynecological conditions nationwide. An estimated 26 million women aged 15 to 50 in the United States have uterine fibroids, although these statistics are often underestimates.
SWHR has been a longtime proponent of this legislation, formally endorsing the bill when it was first introduced during the 117th Congress in 2021 and working alongside an informal coalition of advocates to advance the bill since then. SWHR leadership continues to join other organizations in this space, like the Fibroid Foundation and The White Dress Project, as an outspoken thought leader for this important bill. SWHR’s Fibroids Awareness Month Toolkit includes advocacy resources for supporting the Stephanie Tubbs Jones legislation and sharing facts about fibroids with your networks and communities.
Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act
The Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act is the most expansive effort to date to expand federal research on menopause programs and coordinate the federal government’s existing programs related to menopause and women’s mid-life health for the first time. Its passage would also support women’s health care work force training, awareness, and education efforts, and public health promotion and prevention to better address menopause and women’s mid-life health issues. Seventy-five million women are in perimenopause, menopause, or post-menopause in the United States right now, and 6,000 women reach menopause every day. Two out of five women considered finding a new job due to their menopause symptoms or experience according to SWHR’s study on the topic earlier this year, highlighting the importance and necessity of supports and improved awareness towards women going through menopause in the workplace.
SWHR supports the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act and offers a wide range of free menopause resources that echo the educational goals of the Act. The Menopause Preparedness Toolkit: A Patient Empowerment Guide provides information for women who are in the menopause transition, and the Menopause Workplace Resource Guide for Women aims to help women navigating the menopause transition while working – and comes with a partner guide for employers too! The workplace resource includes a tear-away poster with tips to help employees and employers better understand and support the experience of menopause in the workplace. If you are looking for more ways to help improve the culture of menopause in the workplace and across society, use the menoapuse in the workplace social media toolkit to make an impact in your office or community today.
Do you want more funding for endometriosis research? Support the Endometriosis CARE Act! Are you interested in helping close the care gaps for individuals living with fibroids? Consider supporting the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act! Would like to see the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act continue through Congress to support women throughout the menopause journey? You can advocate for these bills and express your support for improved access to women’s health care by reaching out to your senators and representative today.
Advocacy is essential to move the needle forward for women’s health. Whether you call a senator, email a representative, or start a conversation about women’s health with someone in your community, you are proving that anyone can be an advocate. You can learn more about specific women’s health conditions by diving into one of SWHR’s free resources or make your voice heard by sharing your story with us.
This year, we invite you to celebrate the anniversary of the 19th Amendment by joining the community of advocates inspiring constant improvement in women’s health care.