Ain't I A Woman?

Floor Speech

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore) is recognized for 5 minutes.

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. It's Women's History Month, and it's a great month for us to pass comprehensive health care reform. Here we are, again, women, in another epic battle for equality between men and women. As Alice Paul once said, When you put your hand to plow, you can't put it down until you get to the end of the road. And here we are now.

Staggering statistics on women and health care: 18 percent of women are uninsured; 26 percent of single mothers and 41 percent of low-income women are uninsured; 52 percent of women have foregone getting the care that they needed because of the cost, including not filling prescriptions, skipping a medical test, or not going to the doctor.

For decades, the health insurance industry has used every trick in the book, Mr. Speaker, to deny women the care that they need, to charge women more for the same services as men, and even to drop their coverage when they might need it most. Women face so many barriers in getting affordable health care, and our rights have been trampled on for too long.

This Women's History Month reminds me of the most famous speech that Sojourner Truth ever gave when she asked again and again, ``Ain't I a woman?''--asking when would it be her turn to have equal rights. With regard to health care, I would paraphrase Sojourner Truth and say, Ain't I a human being?

It's not an understatement to say that the lack of affordable health coverage has contributed to keeping women in poverty, not to mention keeping too many women in poor health. Women are more likely to be in low-wage jobs or to have to work several part-time jobs to make ends meet, which means they're less likely to have health coverage offered by their employer. Less than one-half of women have health insurance through their jobs. And because women are more likely to be below the poverty level in the first place and only earn 78 cents for every dollar that a man earns, they're more likely to be completely unable to afford health care in the first place.

Isn't it about time we stood up and said, Ain't I a woman? Or, even: Ain't I a human being? Women are routinely denied care for having a preexisting condition, which could include being a potential, former, or actual mother; which could include being a victim of domestic violence; which could include having a serious illness or an operation, like a Cesarian section.

Health care reform here will provide women the care that they need; the economic security they need; prohibit plans from charging women more than men; ban the insurance practice of rejecting women with a preexisting condition; and include maternity services. Yes, we are women; and, yes, we are human beings.

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