Our President Supports Women's Health
By: Becky W, WIN Member
On March 18, 2024, President Biden issued the Executive Order on Advancing Women’s Health Research and Innovation. This is a great boon to women, who have specific health needs throughout their lives that vary greatly from men.
For decades, biomedical research undervalued and often excluded women. As a consequence, we still know far too little about women’s unique physical changes during their lifespans. Even for diseases that can impact both sexes, it was generations before the medical community understood that women can often exhibit symptoms of serious illnesses quite differently than men.
Finally, in 1993, Congress passed the National Institutes of Health Revitalization Act which mandated that biomedical research include women and people of color. In 2016, Congress passed the 21st Century Act which mandated wider research and studies be done specifically for women’s health issues. Both actions led to a marked increase in women participating in research.
With this Order, President Biden, working closely with the First Lady, will call upon various government agencies to support and contribute to this cause. A board of experts having skill sets applicable to this endeavor will align and coordinate participant entities. They will require each participating entity to submit periodic reports. These findings will be passed along to the President.
The overall mission of this Order is to:
1. Advance women’s health research and make funding a priority.
2. Close disparities between male and female health care.
3. Ensure that gains that are made in clinical studies and laboratories will be translated to direct care.
4. Assure that all women regardless of race, sexual preferences, income level, ethnicity, age or any other factor have access to high-quality, evidence-based health care.
5. Improve health care outcomes for women across their lifespans.
6. Make sure that women’s healthcare is consistently effective in every state.
