[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 94 (Tuesday, May 31, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E566-E567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING WOMEN'S HEALTH MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SHONTEL M. BROWN

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 31, 2022

  Ms. BROWN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Women's 
Health Month. This month, we seek to empower women to make their health 
a priority and recommit to raising awareness of and addressing the 
conditions and diseases that impact women across America.
  As a woman and as a Black Woman, I am keenly aware of the health 
challenges that disproportionately impact women of color. From maternal 
health and autoimmune diseases to mental health and various forms of 
cancer, women--especially women of color--experience a variety of 
unique health care issues. Expanding access to health care and 
improving outreach, awareness, prevention and treatment strategies is 
critically important.
  This Women's Health Month, I would like to draw attention to Uterine 
Fibroids. More than 25 million American women suffer from Uterine 
Fibroids, and around 80 percent of Black Women can expect to experience 
them by age 50. This disease can be devastating to a woman's life and 
her reproductive health. It causes debilitating symptoms and can 
negatively impact fertility. Uterine fibroids are a serious public 
health challenge, and they expose and exacerbate underlying racial 
health disparities.
  In the face of this challenge, we need more funding for prevention, 
diagnosis, and treatment interventions, as well as public education. 
That is why I am proud to cosponsor Congresswoman Yvette Clarke's 
landmark bill, the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroid Research and 
Education Act. The bill, named after my esteemed predecessor in Ohio's 
Eleventh District who was a longtime champion for women's health issues 
during her time in Congress, would increase research funding for 
uterine fibroids.

[[Page E567]]

  Specifically, the bill would establish $150 million in research 
funding for the National Institute of Health and create a new public 
education program through the CDC. To help address the grave threat 
uterine fibroids pose to women of color, the bill specifically 
highlights the need to raise awareness of Uterine fibroids in the Black 
community.
  I am proud to join Congresswoman Clarke and my other colleagues in 
supporting this critical bill, and I look forward to its swift 
consideration here in the House.

                          ____________________