[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12836]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCTION OF THE OBSTETRIC FISTULA PREVENTION, TREATMENT, HOPE, AND 
                    DIGNITY RESTORATION ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 31, 2013

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today, I, along 
with Representatives Joseph Crowley, John Conyers, Sam Farr, Raul 
Grijalva, Henry ``Hank'' Johnson, Jim McDermott, Gwen Moore, James 
Moran, and Jackie Speier, am reintroducing the ``Fistula Prevention, 
Treatment, Hope and Dignity Restoration Act.'' This comprehensive 
legislation both prevents new obstetric fistulas and helps to treat 
existing ones, helping millions of women throughout the world.
  Pregnancy shouldn't leave a woman with a disability and ostracized 
from her community. Congress should ensure investments for the more 
than two million women worldwide that have obstetric fistula and we do 
what we can to prevent new cases. Obstetric fistula is a devastating 
condition that results from prolonged labor without medical attention. 
During delivery, the infant's head presses against the woman's pelvis 
for so long that it kills the tissues. This causes a hole between the 
woman's vagina and rectum develops, leaving her without control of her 
bladder and/or bowels for the rest of her life if she goes untreated. 
It often results in the death of the infant. They are almost always 
abandoned by their husbands and shunned by their families. According to 
the World Health Organization, about two million women suffer this 
condition worldwide.
  Fortunately, multilateral organizations such as UNFPA (the United 
Nations Population Fund) and bilateral organizations such as USAID are 
working with partners on a global campaign to prevent and treat fistula 
with the goal of making the condition rare in developing areas such as 
sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
  It is imperative that we in Congress support these efforts to 
eradicate the devastating condition which is why this bill authorizes 
the President to provide assistance to prevent and treat obstetric 
fistula. This legislation allows for a comprehensive, three pronged 
approach of prevention, treatment and reintegration which includes: 
increasing access to prenatal care, emergency obstetric care, postnatal 
care, and voluntary family planning; building local capacity and 
improving national health systems; addressing underlying social and 
economic inequities such as reducing the incidence of child marriage 
and increasing access to formal and informal education; and supporting 
reintegration and training programs to help women who have undergone 
treatment return to full and productive lives. These essential 
investments create a multiplier effect of benefits in the lives of 
women and their communities.
  The legislation also supports coordination among the community 
working to prevent and treat obstetric fistula through the 
International Obstetric Fistula Working Group. Support for monitoring, 
evaluation, and research to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of 
such programs throughout their planning and implementation phases will 
ensure the most efficient and effective use of U.S. foreign assistance 
dollars.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important, meaningful 
legislation.

                          ____________________