[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


INTRODUCTION OF THE OBSTETRIC FISTULA PREVENTION, TREATMENT, HOPE, AND 
                    DIGNITY RESTORATION ACT OF 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 1, 2015

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I am 
reintroducing comprehensive legislation that both prevents new 
obstetric fistulas and helps to treat existing ones, helping millions 
of women around the world regain control of their health and dignity. 
The Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope and Dignity Restoration Act 
will support a cooperative effort to eradicate a heartbreaking, 
preventable condition that has been largely eliminated in the developed 
world.
  Childbirth should not leave a woman disabled or ostracized by her 
family and community. Congress must commit to expanding access to 
treatment for the more than two million women worldwide who suffer from 
obstetric fistula and preventing new cases.
  Obstetric fistula is a devastating condition that results from 
prolonged, obstructed labor without proper medical attention. During 
delivery, the infant's head presses against the woman's pelvis for so 
long that it creates a hole between the woman's vagina and rectum, 
leaving her without control of her bladder and/or bowels for the rest 
of her life if untreated. It also often results in a stillbirth. 
Mothers with fistulas are abandoned by their husbands and shunned by 
their families. According to the World Health Organization, there are 
between 50,000 and 100,000 new cases each year.
  Fortunately, obstetric fistula is both treatable and preventable. 
Ninety percent of cases can be treated with a surgery costing an 
average of $400. This legislation allows for a comprehensive, three 
pronged approach of prevention, treatment and reintegration which 
involves: 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, reducing the incidence of child marriage, and 
increasing access to 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 for women and their communities.
  It is also imperative that Congress supports ongoing efforts in the 
fight to end fistula. Organizations such as UNFPA (the United Nations 
Population Fund) and USAID are working with partners in a global 
campaign to prevent and treat fistula with the goal of making the 
condition rare in areas of the developing world, such as sub-Saharan 
Africa and South Asia. The legislation also supports coordination 
through the International Obstetric Fistula Working Group. Support for 
monitoring, evaluation, and research to measure the impacts of such 
programs throughout their planning and implementation phases will 
ensure the most efficient and effective allocation of U.S. foreign 
assistance dollars.
  We are already well aware that promoting women's health is 
fundamental to ensuring the health of their children and families. With 
this bill, we can give women around the world hope for a healthy 
future. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of the Obstetric 
Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope, and Dignity Restoration Act.

                          ____________________