[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 68 (Friday, May 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF WOMEN'S HEALTH WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2005

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Women's Health Week. It 
is only within the past decade that scientists have begun to uncover 
significant biological and physiological differences between men and 
women. Before that time, women were regularly left out of clinical 
trials and it was simply assumed that women's bodies would respond to 
medication in the same way as men's bodies.
  Thanks to the efforts of women in the House and Senate, and dedicated 
organizations such as the Society for Women's Health Research, to 
mandate that women be included in clinical trials, we are now gaining 
greater knowledge of the unique differences between the genders--from 
the composition of bone matter and the experience of pain, to the 
metabolism of certain drugs and the rate of brain activity--and what we 
need to do to ensure optimal health care for everyone.
  As an ovarian cancer survivor, I understand that research on women's 
health can both improve and save lives. As a result of such research, 
death rates have decreased for women with tumors of the cervix, breast, 
uterus, and ovary due to advances in detection and treatment, such as 
the development of a cervical cancer vaccine. Quality of life has also 
improved for cancer patients through the development of less invasive 
surgical techniques, organ-sparing treatments, and better control of 
pain and nausea related to chemotherapy.
  Women's health research can also lead to less expensive treatments 
and cost-saving prevention strategies. For example, the total economic 
value to Americans from reductions in mortality from cardiovascular 
disease, which strikes 50,000 more women than men each year, averaged 
$1.5 trillion annually between 1970 and 1990.
  While progress has been made in recent years, there is still much 
more that Congress can do to improve women's health. The Office of 
Research on Women's Health, ORWH, in the Office of the Director at NIH 
must be fully funded so that it can continue supporting the expansion 
and funding of peer-reviewed Specialized Centers of Research on Sex and 
Gender Factors Affecting Women's Health, SCOR, and the Building 
Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health, BIRCWH, programs.
  In addition, I urge Congress to pass the Women's Health Office Act 
(S. 569/H.R. 949), which will permanently authorize the existing 
offices of women's health in five federal agencies: the Department of 
Health and Human Services; the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention; the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; the Health 
Resources and Services Administration; and the Food and Drug 
Administration. This will allow these offices to continue to carry out 
their important work without facing underfunding, understaffing, or 
elimination in the future.
  Finally, Congress should further encourage NIH to update and modify 
its guidelines to actively promote sex differences research at all 
levels, including basic research in cell and tissue culture, 
development and study of appropriate animal models, and in early stage 
clinical research.
  I would like to commend the Society for Women's Health Research for 
its tireless efforts to improve the health of both women and men. I 
hope that during Women's Health Week, all Members will take a moment to 
consider the importance of passing these measures and continuing our 
commitment to women's health.

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