[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 131 (Monday, October 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2087-E2088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF BARBARA SEAMAN ON THE OCCASION OF HER 70TH BIRTHDAY 
                              CELEBRATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 17, 2005

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge the achievements of 
Barbara Seaman, a great New Yorker, groundbreaking author, perceptive 
reporter and researcher and dear friend of mine. On October 2, 2005, 
many of Barbara's friends and colleagues will gather to celebrate her 
70th birthday. I am very pleased to offer my best wishes to Barbara for 
a truly memorable and enjoyable afternoon.
  I have heard it said more than once that Barbara Seaman is to women's 
health what Ralph Nader was to automobiles. Barbara's contributions to 
the welfare of women throughout the world have been simply 
extraordinary: she was the first reporter to expose the serious health 
risks posed by the birth control pill, and she pioneered efforts to 
allow women to take control of their own health care decisions.
  Barbara's 1969 book on the dangers of oral contraceptives, The 
Doctors' Case Against the Pill, spurred a U.S. Senate hearing on the 
topic, though patients harmed by the pill were not allowed to testify. 
The hearing became known as the ``Boston Tea Party'' of the women's 
movement when female audience members'' demands to be heard repeatedly 
brought the proceedings to a halt. As a result of Barbara's work, the 
Federal Government required that health warnings be placed on oral 
contraception packaging and advertisements, a first for any 
prescription drug.
  Barbara also strives to make sure that women have the information 
they need to make good decisions about a range of health topics, 
including contraception, childbirth and infant nutrition. Indeed, The 
New York Times commented that ``Barbara Seaman triggered a revolution, 
fostering a willingness among women to take issues of health into their 
own hands.''
  In the 1980s, Barbara was essentially blacklisted from magazines by 
pharmaceutical companies who would not advertise in publications that 
carried her stories. Her relentless insistence on questioning the 
safety and effectiveness of their products earned her their

[[Page E2088]]

condemnation and our praise. Barbara took advantage of this forced lull 
by turning to biography. Her book on the life of the novelist 
Jacequeline Susann was made into a television movie starring Michele 
Lee.
  Cited by the Library of Congress as the author who raised sexism in 
health care as a worldwide issue, Barbara Seaman is a co-founder of the 
Women's Health Network, a non-profit organization devoted to giving 
women a greater voice in the health care system. In addition to the 
works cited above, Barbara is the author of For Women Only: Your Guide 
to Health Empowerment, Free and Female and Women and the Crisis in Sex 
Hormones. Her most recent book, published in 2003, is The Greatest 
Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth, which 
presaged recent studies that proved that estrogen was doing more harm 
than good for menopausal women.
  I continue to be in awe of Barbara Seaman's contributions to the 
public good. A native of Brooklyn and currently an Upper West Sider, 
Barbara's life and accomplishments are a reflection of the strength and 
vitality of New York City itself.
  I would like to join Barbara's friends and family in marking this 
special occasion; I trust that she will be surrounded by the warmth of 
happy memories, good cheer and loving friendships. Mr. Speaker, I 
request that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to Barbara Seaman, 
a friend to all Americans and a force for women's health.

                          ____________________