Empowering and Educating Women as to Their Reproductive Health

Floor Speech

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Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I was just thinking that one of the reasons I like spring so much and so well is that we get an opportunity to interact a bit more with young people, with our children, and I have seen many around here this morning all over the place, and I simply want to welcome them.

Also, yesterday, I got an opportunity to visit two schools. The first was the Proviso Area School for Exceptional Children in Maywood, Illinois, where we just had a wonderful time. Then, in the afternoon, I did a book fair at the Lovett Elementary School with its principal, Dr. Haney. The young people at Lovett were saying they just love being at Lovett, so it was a refreshing day.

Like many of my colleagues, I also use a lot of interns and fellows who come and learn and work and who are engaged and involved. The statement that I am going to read today was developed by one of my interns, Jakie Martinez. Jakie has been working on health issues, and she came up with this statement. So I come here today to speak of a health concern that many women are likely to develop in their lifetimes.

Known as one of the most common gynecological disorders, uterine fibroids affect nearly 70 percent of Caucasian women and more than 80 percent of African American women by the age of 50. For many of these women the associated symptoms of this diagnosis will significantly impact their quality of life, work, personal relationships, and daily activities. The prevalence of uterine fibroids is one that increases with age. Although we see a commonality in the disorder and its symptoms, the greater public has not yet received the proper continued education into the causes and treatment options available for women who suffer from these fibroids.

In response, we see that hysterectomies are the most commonly performed major gynecologic surgery in the United States, with over 400,000 hysterectomies performed annually; yet there are also several minimally invasive surgical options for the treatment of uterine fibroids that feature less blood loss, shorter hospital stays, smaller incisions for minimal scarring, and less need for pain medication than with traditional open surgery. It is important to remember that the best surgical option for each woman, whether it is open or minimally invasive, is reserved for a case-by-case evaluation.

In recognizing the health and educational needs of women in the United States, it is important that the greater public be educated in greater detail on the alternatives to more or less invasive surgical treatments so that women can have access to a full spectrum of treatment options. After all, it is my hope that women will become more educated and empowered in regards to their reproductive health and in the understanding of safe options available for the treatment of symptomatic fibroids.

I thank Jakie Martinez for writing this statement. It is very important.

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