[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16958]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN MEMORY OF DR. FELICIA H. STEWART

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to an 
extraordinary woman, renowned reproductive health expert Dr. Felicia 
Hance Stewart. Dr. Stewart died on April 13 at the age of 63. Her 
energy, compassion, intelligence and tireless commitment to women's 
health made a difference for countless women in the U.S. and around the 
world.
  Dr. Stewart's keen mind and affinity for medicine were apparent from 
her distinguished educational background. She received her bachelor of 
arts degree from the University of California, Berkeley, graduating Phi 
Beta Kappa and with honors in biochemistry. In 1969, she received her 
M.D. degree from Harvard University Medical School. She did her 
postgraduate training at Cambridge City Hospital in Massachusetts and 
at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center.
  Dr. Stewart's passion for empowering women through increased access 
to reproductive health services was evident throughout her 
extraordinary career. Dr. Stewart began her practice in obstetrics and 
gynecology in Sacramento, working for Sutter Medical Group, doing 
clinical research with a focus on contraceptives. She also worked as 
associate medical director of Planned Parenthood in Sacramento.
  In 1994, Dr. Stewart was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Population Affairs in the Clinton administration's Department of Health 
and Human Services, HHS. Working with then-Secretary of HHS Donna 
Shalala, Dr. Stewart was the senior expert responsible for family 
planning.
  In 1996, she became director of Reproductive Health Programs at the 
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, CA. She was most 
recently codirector of the Bixby Center for Reproductive Health 
Research and Policy at UCSF.
  Dr. Stewart wrote ``Understanding Your Body: Everywoman's Guide to a 
Lifetime of Health,'' 1987, and ``My Body, My Health: The Concerned 
Woman's Guide to Gynecology and Health,'' 1979. She cowrote 
``Contraceptive Technology,'' a major professional reference book that 
has been published in 18 editions, and ``Emergency Contraception: The 
Nation's Best Kept Secret.'' She also published nearly 100 scientific 
journal articles.
  Dr. Stewart's passionate and reasoned advocacy for increasing access 
to emergency contraception brought national attention to this critical 
women's health issue. Dr. Stewart was instrumental in conducting 
research which established that emergency contraception was safe and 
effective without a physician's prescription. Her research has helped 
increase access to emergency contraception in pharmacies throughout 
California.
  In 1973, after Roe v. Wade was handed down, none of us thought we 
still would be fighting the same battle to protect fundamental women's 
reproductive rights in 2006. But the fight is more challenging than 
ever. Not only are we fighting to maintain abortion rights, but access 
to comprehensive health services, including contraception.
  Dr. Felicia Stewart was at the forefront of that fight throughout her 
career. Her work helped prevent countless unintended pregnancies and 
empowered women to take control of their reproductive health. Dr. 
Stewart impacted many lives, from the women and men she served in 
clinics to the doctors, researchers and activists she inspired to 
follow in her footsteps. She leaves us with the inspiration to work 
harder and never give up the fight to secure the full range of 
reproductive health services for women. She leaves a lasting legacy 
that will not be forgotten.
  Dr. Stewart is survived by her son Matthew Stewart and daughter 
Kathryn Stewart; her parents Lena and Harold Hance; her brother Allan 
Hance; stepchildren Tammy Barlow, Wayne Stewart, and Michael Stewart.
  I am proud to have stood with Dr. Felicia Stewart in our fight to 
increase access to women's reproductive health services. She was a 
wonderful ally and supporter of my work in the Senate. She will be 
greatly missed.

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