[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 17, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 31457-31459]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10663]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 95 / Wednesday, May 17, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 31457]]


                Proclamation 10578 of May 12, 2023

                
National Women's Health Week, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Women's Health Week, our Nation 
                recommits to improving the health and well-being of 
                women and girls across America and encouraging them to 
                make their health a priority.

                The White House officially observed its first National 
                Women's Health Week in 2010, the same year we passed 
                the landmark Affordable Care Act. This law ended the 
                shameful practices of denying women coverage for pre-
                existing conditions and charging them more for health 
                care simply because they are women. It extended crucial 
                preventive care, like cancer screenings, to millions 
                more Americans and expanded access to basic health 
                services, like maternity care.

                As President, I have worked hard to protect the 
                expanded health care coverage provided to millions by 
                the Affordable Care Act and to strengthen Medicaid for 
                those who need it. At the same time, I have acted to 
                improve the well-being of women and their families, 
                including slashing prescription drug prices and saving 
                American families hundreds of dollars a year on health 
                insurance premiums. I am proud that our Nation has seen 
                historic health insurance coverage gains since I took 
                office, and I am working to ensure that health care is 
                a right in our Nation, not a privilege.

                But so many women are still denied this right, 
                especially when it comes to making deeply personal 
                decisions about their own bodies and health. Last year, 
                the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, with grave 
                repercussions for millions of women across the country. 
                Since then, women having miscarriages have been turned 
                away from emergency rooms by health care professionals 
                afraid of the legal consequences of providing care. 
                Women have been told they need to wait until they are 
                sicker before they can be seen by a doctor. Others have 
                been denied prescriptions they need, and still others 
                are forced to travel hundreds of miles away from their 
                homes and families, across State lines, to access life-
                saving care.

                In response to this crisis, I have issued two Executive 
                Orders to protect a woman's right to access 
                comprehensive reproductive health care services, 
                including abortion and contraception. My Administration 
                is working to ensure that patients receive care during 
                medical emergencies; safeguard patients' privacy and 
                their sensitive health information; and promote the 
                safety and security of patients as well as providers, 
                who are delivering the evidence-based, lawful care and 
                treatment that they have been trained to provide. My 
                Administration will continue to defend access to 
                medication abortion and I will also continue to call on 
                the Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade 
                in Federal law, which would secure the right to choose 
                once and for all.

                My Administration is also leading efforts to tackle the 
                maternal health crisis, which has resulted in American 
                women--particularly Black and Native American women--
                dying at a higher rate from pregnancy-related causes 
                than in any other developed nation. As part of my 
                Blueprint for Addressing the Maternal Health Crisis, we 
                have extended Medicaid postpartum coverage across 
                America and taken steps to grow and diversify the 
                maternal health workforce, and we are working to 
                improve access to care in rural communities

[[Page 31458]]

                and address systemic inequities that put many women at 
                greater risk of pregnancy-related complications.

                Vice President Kamala Harris has been a leader on the 
                issue of maternal mortality for years, and she 
                continues to elevate the problem nationally, convening 
                State legislators, medical professionals, and private 
                industry leaders to work together to develop solutions 
                so all women can access the care they need before, 
                during, and after childbirth.

                To address the mental health challenges that new and 
                expecting mothers may face, including postpartum 
                depression, anxiety, or substance use disorder, my 
                Administration launched the National Maternal Mental 
                Health Hotline (1-833-TLC-MAMA) and the Maternal Mental 
                Health Task Force, charged with improving maternal 
                mental health in this country. We are making other 
                investments in women's mental health as well, such as 
                expanding Certified Community Behavioral Health 
                Clinics, which deliver 24/7 mental health care to 
                millions of Americans, regardless of their ability to 
                pay. And my 2024 Budget proposes spending tens of 
                billions over the next 10 years to transform our 
                behavioral health system.

                Standing up for women's health also means preventing 
                gender-based violence and helping survivors access 
                safety, justice, and healing. Last year, I was proud to 
                reauthorize and strengthen the landmark Violence 
                Against Women Act, which I first introduced in the 
                United States Senate more than 30 years ago. We have 
                increased funding for shelters and rape crisis centers, 
                expanded access to housing and legal assistance for 
                survivors of abusive relationships, and enhanced 
                training for law enforcement agencies and courts. We 
                have also expanded support for survivors--including 
                addressing the needs of LGBTQI+ survivors and other 
                underserved populations--and have broadened protections 
                to cover online abuse, such as the non-consensual 
                distribution of intimate images.

                My Administration is fighting a wave of extreme State 
                policies that target transgender women and girls to 
                prevent or limit access to evidence-based, gender-
                affirming health care just because of who they are. I 
                have challenged my Administration to address 
                discrimination wherever we find it and to ensure equal 
                access to health care for all Americans.

                The First Lady and I are committed to ending cancer as 
                we know it through the reignited Cancer Moonshot, 
                including for the nearly one million American women who 
                will be diagnosed with cancer this year. My 
                Administration increased our investment in the Centers 
                for Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast 
                and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which 
                provides breast and cervical cancer screening and 
                diagnostic services to those with low incomes who are 
                uninsured or otherwise qualify for the program. We are 
                bringing together community health centers and leading 
                cancer centers to facilitate access to life-saving 
                cancer screenings and close the screening gap. We have 
                also created the Advanced Research Projects Agency for 
                Health (ARPA-H) to deliver new, innovative, 
                comprehensive ways to prevent, detect, and treat cancer 
                and other diseases.

                In addition, my Administration will continue its work 
                to prevent health conditions that affect women, 
                including heart disease and diabetes. Heart disease is 
                the number one killer of women in this country. My 
                Administration has a national strategy that seeks to 
                improve access to affordable, healthy food; better 
                integrate nutrition into the health care system; 
                support physical activity for all; and enhance research 
                into food and nutrition security. At the same time, 
                experts agree it is important that women get regular 
                checkups, preventive screenings, vaccinations, and 
                mental health care.

                This week, we make our message clear to women and girls 
                across America: Your health impacts the future of our 
                Nation. Achieving everything America aspires to be 
                depends on the health, safety, and support we give to 
                all women, who are leaders in every industry, in every 
                community, and in every family.

[[Page 31459]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 14 through 
                May 20, 2023, as National Women's Health Week. During 
                this week, I encourage all Americans to join us in a 
                collective effort to improve and support the health of 
                women and girls and promote health equity for all. I 
                encourage all women and girls to prioritize their 
                health and catch up on any missed screenings, routine 
                care, and vaccines.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twelfth day of May, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-10663
Filed 5-16-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P