[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 15, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 42335-42337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10765]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 95 / Wednesday, May 15, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 42335]]


                Proclamation 10756 of May 10, 2024

                
National Women's Health Week, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Women comprise more than half our population, but 
                women's health is understudied, and its research is 
                vastly underfunded. Too many of our medications, 
                treatments, and textbooks are instead based on men's 
                needs. As a result, women spend more of their lives in 
                poor health--too often having their symptoms dismissed, 
                leaving medical appointments with more questions than 
                answers, or waiting years to get the diagnosis and 
                treatment they need. During National Women's Health 
                Week, we commit to changing that by investing in 
                women's health, closing the research gap, and getting 
                every woman in this country access to the affordable, 
                quality health care that she deserves.

                Last year, the First Lady and I were proud to launch 
                the first-ever White House Initiative on Women's Health 
                Research, pioneering the next generation of medical 
                breakthroughs and transforming the care that women 
                receive. We jumpstarted this effort with an investment 
                of $200 million to the National Institutes of Health 
                specifically for cross-cutting research on women's 
                health, and I called on the Congress to deliver $12 
                billion more to accelerate this work. These investments 
                will spur much-needed research into conditions that 
                affect women uniquely, like menopause and 
                endometriosis, or that affect women differently or at 
                higher rates, like heart disease and Alzheimer's. 
                Further, I issued the most comprehensive set of 
                executive actions ever to expand and improve research 
                on women's health, ensuring that women's health gets 
                integrated and prioritized across Federal agencies. 
                These actions will galvanize new research on a wide 
                range of topics and help prevent, diagnose, and treat 
                women's health conditions once and for all. Meanwhile, 
                the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is 
                investing $100 million in its first-ever ``Sprint for 
                Women's Health'' to radically accelerate the next 
                generation of discoveries.

                Early in the Administration, the First Lady and I re-
                ignited the Cancer Moonshot initiative to end cancer as 
                we know it--building a future where the one in three 
                women who will be diagnosed with cancer in their 
                lifetimes have access to the best treatments and care. 
                Screening is an essential tool for survival; my 
                Administration has boosted funding for breast and 
                cervical cancer early detection and other diagnostic 
                services for low-income Americans and those who do not 
                have adequate insurance so everyone can access life-
                saving preventive care. We are also funding new 
                research into heart disease--the top killer of women in 
                America--while enacting a national strategy to help 
                everyone access healthier food and get more exercise.

                Health care should be a right in America, not a 
                privilege. As Vice President, I helped pass the 
                Affordable Care Act, expanding coverage to millions of 
                women and guaranteeing that no one can be denied health 
                insurance due to a pre-existing condition or pregnancy. 
                It also ensures that important preventative services, 
                like Pap smears and mammograms, are covered. As 
                President, I am not only protecting the Affordable Care 
                Act--I am strengthening it, saving millions of working 
                families an average of $800 per year on their health 
                insurance premiums. We are also cracking down on junk 
                insurance so that people are not scammed into low-
                quality coverage. We

[[Page 42336]]

                finally secured Medicare the ability to negotiate lower 
                prescription drug prices. We have slashed the cost of 
                insulin for seniors on Medicare to just $35, down from 
                as high as $400. Starting next year, we are capping 
                out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $2,000 per 
                year for 30 million women on Medicare, even for drugs 
                that can cost many times that amount.

                Even as we have made progress in expanding access to 
                care and lowering health care costs, the threat to 
                women's reproductive health is greater today than at 
                any time in generations. In the wake of the Supreme 
                Court overturning Roe v. Wade, millions of women live 
                in States with dangerous abortion bans that put women's 
                health and lives at risk, force them to travel out of 
                State for care, and threaten doctors with jail time. We 
                are seeing threats to a broad range of reproductive 
                health care, from contraception to fertility services, 
                undermining women's ability to make decisions about 
                their own futures and families. These are the most 
                personal and private health care decisions that a 
                person can make and should be left to a woman and her 
                doctor, not to politicians. I have signed three 
                Executive Orders to protect access to reproductive 
                health care and will continue to take action to defend 
                reproductive freedom. I will continue to call on the 
                Congress to send me a bill supporting the right to 
                choose. I will sign it and restore Roe v. Wade as the 
                Federal law of the land.

                We have also taken steps to protect the health and 
                lives of our Nation's mothers, and data shows that 
                rates of maternal mortality are decreasing across the 
                country. Thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris' 
                efforts, 46 States now ensure access to Medicaid 
                postpartum coverage for 12 months after childbirth. We 
                will continue to work toward guaranteeing access to 
                essential care before, during, and after childbirth so 
                that we can finally end the unconscionable maternal 
                mortality crisis that we have in this country today. To 
                support new moms struggling with postpartum depression, 
                anxiety, or a substance use disorder, my Administration 
                has launched the National Maternal Mental Health 
                Hotline so that mothers can get confidential help from 
                a professional right away by calling 1-833-TLC-MAMA.

                Meanwhile, we are supporting the healing and recovery 
                of domestic and sexual violence survivors. I wrote the 
                original Violence Against Women Act years ago; today, 
                we are bringing its funding to record levels, 
                supporting shelters and rape crisis centers, addressing 
                the needs of LGBTQI+ people and other underserved 
                groups, and broadening protections for survivors.

                This Women's Health Week, I encourage women across 
                America to make their health a priority, and I promise 
                that we are making it a national priority as well. To 
                realize our potential as a land of possibilities, we 
                have to protect and support the health of every woman 
                and girl in our Nation and build a health care system 
                that puts women, their lives, and their lived 
                experiences at its center.

                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 12 through 
                May 18, 2024, 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.

[[Page 42337]]

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

[FR Doc. 2024-10765
Filed 5-14-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P