We've heard from plenty of women who are fired up about the Stupak and Nelson amendments in the House and Senate that would deny millions of women access to safe, affordable reproductive care. And, more than anything, women seem eager to have their voices heard on an issue that's so personal.
Fortunately, we have women like Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD), the first woman EMILY's List helped elect to the Senate, making sure women's voices are heard loud and clear on the issue of reproductive rights.
Barbara took the floor yesterday and gave a rousing speech that expressed exactly how outrageous -- and insulting -- the proposed new restrictions on women's rights are.
There are so many good points in Barbara's speech, it's tough to choose which pieces to highlight. Here are a few gems you won't want to miss:
Calling health care reform "the most importance social justice vote that we will cast this decade," she said reform will end the discriminatory practices in which women "pay more and get less in our benefit package, and also where simply being a woman is often treated as a preexisting condition."
Barbara called the Nelson amendment "unneeded" and "uncalled for," noting that it "goes further than" previous federal legislation to restrict abortion access.
Barbara also spoke out against the terminology surrounding the anti-choice amendment, calling the current heath care bill "pro-life." "Most of all, if you want people to have healthy pregnancies, healthy childbirth, and healthy babies, they need access to health care. So that's why I say that voting for universal access to health care is as pro-life as you can be."
Watch a clip here:
Learn more about how other EMILY's List women in the Senate are speaking out against the Nelson amendment.
The Senate voted 61-39 to pass the women's health amendment offered by EMILY's List alum Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD). The amendment will go further than the original proposed legislation to cover preventative care for women, including mammograms and screenings.
Mikulski has long worked to improve women's health care, fighting for women's inclusion in medical research and increased funding for women's care and education.
Today's vote was the first for the Senate on amendments for the health care bill.
In the midst of anti-choice attacks in Congress, it's nice to know that the Democratic women in the Senate have our backs. Tonight, the Senate will vote on Senator Barbara Mikulski;s amendment that guarantees women have access to preventive health care screenings at no cost.
“There seems to be little awareness about women’s health needs and the need for preventive initiatives. So I am here today to call for change in our health care system when it comes to women’s health. Coverage for women is often skimpy and spartan. Often health care doesn’t cover basic women’s health care like mammograms and cervical cancer screenings. My amendment is about saving lives and saving money to give women access to comprehensive preventive services that are affordable and life saving," Mikulski said.
Mikulski added that she felt that the Senate has started with an excellent health care reform bill, she knew it needed more work to improve women's access to health care -- which is what her amendment provides. You can read the full text of it here.
We couldn't agree more. Thank you, Senator Mikulski, for working to ensure that the women in this country have access to the best possible care.
Because we never miss an opportunity to brag on one of our own...
A new poll released by the Clarus Research Group of Washington shows Senator Barbara Mikulski with a job approval rating of 57 percent, making her the "most popular politician" in Maryland.
Barbara is up for reelection next year, and already she's drawn three Republican opponents -- of course, she's taking any challenge seriously, but we don't mind seeing how well she polls across the state.
We were shocked to learn about a Senate hearing yesterday, during which a witness testified that a prospective insurer denied her application for coverage because she'd had a C-section. Even more outrageous? The insurance company actually suggested -- in a written letter -- that she be sterilized!
It takes a lot to really shock us around here -- we've long been fighting for women to have control over their health care choices, particularly when it comes to reproductive health. But actually encouraging a woman to be sterilized in order to receive crucial insurance coverage? That's beyond horrifying. It's disgusting. Apparently, the company wasn't interested in covering a patient who potentially could have another costly C-section -- and they thought that justified an inexcusable invasion of her privacy.
EMILY's List alum Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD) said what women everywhere were thinking: "No one in the United States of America, in order to get health insurance, should ever, ever be coerced into getting a sterilization. I find it offensive, and I find it morally repugnant."
Can you imagine this hearing without a woman senator there to speak out for women across the country? We certainly can't. Mikulski has been fighting for American families and women's rights for two decades, and moments like this remind me just how different things would be without her leadership.
Watch the story -- and Mikulski's response -- here:
Blazing the trail. Breaking new ground. Making history.
That's exactly how our women in Congress have been described and, even though we know it's true, it sure is great when others take notice of their incredible work.
Today, Politico ran a great piece about women in the Senate. Calling them "the magnificent seven," the article outlines exactly how much has changed since Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD) became the first Democratic woman elected in her own right in 1986. Mikulski, the first woman EMILY's List helped elect, joined the Senate when there were no women's restrooms in the Senate Chamber, the gym was for men only, and the two women senators were both called "little lady."
Now, Mikulski serves unofficially as the "dean" of women in the Senate, and that means leading the way for many of her colleagues and mentoring new women senators (like the freshman we helped elect last year, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Kay Hagan of North Carolina, along with the newest woman member, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York).
And, as the article points out, women in the Senate haven't only grown in numbers; they've also gained remarkable influence. Women lead five of the Senate's 20 committees. As the conference secretary, Sen. Patty Murray (WA) is the fourth highest-ranking Democrat, and Mikulski is the 17th highest-ranking member of the Senate.
“Women senators are not a caucus; we’re a force,” said Mikulski.
They sure are -- but that doesn't mean our work is over. Women in the Senate are making huge strides, but they still comprise only 17 percent of the Senate. Based on what we've accomplished together in the last 24 years, it's amazing to think what the next 24 will bring.
At EMILY's List, we believe that electing women to office is critical for creating a more representative, progressive democracy. And with women at the table, our issues are a top priority.
This week, that couldn't have been clearer.
EMILY's List women of the Senate took center stage this week, speaking about the essential ways in which health care reform will benefit the country's women. From the House floor to Larry King Live, these women senators spoke out for women across America, describing the obstacles to care many women face.
Here's a great video, highlighting moments from their speeches on the Senate floor.
Here are just a few quotes you won't want to miss, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar's personal health care story after the birth of her daughter.
“I was up all night in labor, up all day trying to figure out what was wrong with her, and they literally kicked me out of the hospital... My husband wheeled me out in a wheelchair because at that point in our country’s history, they had a rule. It was called drive-by births, that when a mom gave birth she had to get kicked out of the hospital in 24 hours.”
--Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN)
“[I]n all but 12 states, insurance companies are allowed to charge women more than they charge men for coverage. The great irony here is that mothers, the people who care for us when we’re sick, are penalized under our current system.”
--Sen. Kay Hagan (NC)
“For the women in these plans, or who are attempting to get insurance, no amount of money can buy maternity care that they need.”
--Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI)
“Only 14 states in America require insurance companies to cover maternity care. Imagine, in a country that puts family values first, only 14 states."
--Sen. Barbara Boxer (CA)
"It's shocking to think that, in today's America, over half of this country could be discriminated against."
--Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
“It’s time to end the insurance discrimination that women face.”
--Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
Yesterday, four EMILY's List alums -- Senators Amy Klobuchar, Barbara Mikulski, Kay Hagan, and Jeanne Shaheen -- held a press conference focused on impact of health care reform on women. Of course, we already knew that women were central to the health care debate -- and that the women we've helped elect are playing a crucial role in ensuring reform efforts address women's concerns.
Many women face incredible challenges when trying to get coverage, including outrageous claims by some insurers that "pre-existing conditions" should include domestic violence or pregnancies. It's more expensive for women to get health care coverage than men -- so much so that a 22-year-old female stands to be charged up to one and a half times more than the premium for a 22-year-old male. Women also need more frequent contact with their health care providers, due in part to needing more specific care, like mammograms and obstetric care.
Thankfully, our ladies in the Senate are doing something about it. They're working to correct the imbalance between men's and women's health care coverage costs and are working to ensure that women have access to the entire range of reproductive health choices, including expanding insurance coverage of maternity care.
Here are quotes you shouldn't miss:
"When it comes to health insurance, women pay more but get less for our money. We women must end punitive insurance company practices that discriminate against women simply because we are women – practices that say domestic violence or c-sections are pre-existing conditions or that deny coverage for maternity care or basic preventive services and screenings. Just as the women of the Senate fought for equal pay for equal work when we passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, we are fighting for equal health care for equal premiums in health reform."
--Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD)
"As a former prosecutor I am particularly appalled that in 8 states and the District of Columbia domestic violence is classified as a pre-existing condition. Health care reform must ensure that all women have access to preventative services and maternity care, and that health care that doesn't use 'pre-existing conditions' as a way to deny women care."
--Sen. Amy Klobuchar (MN)
"For too many women and their families today, quality, affordable health care is out of reach. Men and women have very different health care needs, and women are more vulnerable to high costs. We must level the playing field, and pass comprehensive health care reform that makes health care accessible and affordable for all women."
--Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH)
"Without health care reform, insurance companies will continue to discriminate against women. Charging women more for coverage and denying comprehensive maternity care are just two of the common insurance company practices. The Senate is working on sending the President a reform bill that ensures women are treated fairly, expands coverage, and provides security and stability to people who have health insurance."
--Sen. Kay Hagan (NC)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) fell and broke her ankle recently, and we're asking our members to send notes wishing her a speedy recovery. Mikulski, the first woman EMILY's List helped elect (and the first Democratic woman elected in her own right to the U.S. Senate), has been a leader for women's health care issues in the Senate, and we want to make sure she's back back on her feet as the health care debate continues.
EMILY's List president Ellen R. Malcolm was in touch with the senator after her fall, and she sent a note to EMILY's List members today encouraging them to write their own notes. Click here to read Ellen's message.
Health care coverage is dominating the news cycle lately, and rightfully so.
We told you last week about how reform will affect women's lives dramatically, and this week, despite growing tensions, we have a good piece of news to deliver. Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD) accomplished a notable victory for women last week, when she successfully added an amendment to the Affordable Health Choices Act that would require insurance coverage for preventative reproductive health care for women.
Republican senators were quick to attack, but the measure passed through committee.
Expanding coverage to these populations is an urgent matter of public health. First, women have higher health care costs than men to begin with. Women of childbearing age spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men, in part because of reproductive health-related needs.
Yet the economic downturn, loss of jobs and health insurance and expansion of the numbers of people living in poverty have led a growing number of women to forego preventive health care. Recent research shows that women are increasingly delaying or skipping preventive health care due the inability to pay for these services, thereby raising overall health costs in the long-run when treatment is required for originally preventable illness an disease.
Today, Senators Barbara Boxer (CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Amy Klobuchar (MN) offered their support for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, highlighting the importance of having another woman's voice on the highest court in the land.
“[Sotomayor’s nomination is] important because we want our [government] institutions in this country…to reflect the diversity of our country, and the majority of the people in this country are women and we need to be represented. It doesn’t mean women are better but we are equal,” Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) said.
Over the past couple of months Sotomayor has met with many of our women senators, including Klobuchar, Boxer, Gillibrand, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA), Sen. Claire McCaskill (MO), Sen. Barbara Mikulski (MD), and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (NH).
Check out photos from her meetings with some of the senators that EMILY's List helped elect.
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