WEALTH

Newsletter of the WIN Womens Health Policy Network D.C. Abortion Ban Upheld for 2012
Last month, the Senate passed a House-approved fiscal year 2012 spending bill that includes a policy rider known as the D.C. abortion ban. The D.C. abortion ban prohibits the District from using locally-raised tax revenues to fund abortion services. The harmful rider was first reinstated in April i2011 n an eleventh-hour compromise to prevent the federal government from shutting down. Last April, the sudden elimination of D.C. Medicaid support for abortion services left 28 residents without coverage for their next day procedures. The D.C. Abortion Fund (DCAF) was fortunately able to provide grants for these patients, however, since then the need has steadily increased. In a recent press release, DCAF Board President Val Villot responded to the decision to uphold the ban: Congress vote today is a dangerous gamble that plays politics with womens lives. In the absence of D.C. Medicaid funding, we will continue to dedicate ourselves to ensure that no low-income women seeking abortion care are turned away from clinics because of their

January 2012 Volume 4 Issue 1

inability to pay...We hope to turn our outrage over the continuation of the D.C. ban into resilience. We, and the clients we serve, need the support of our community more than ever as we adjust to this difficult new reality. To contribute to DCAF (an all-volunteer, non-profit organization) visit DCAbortionFund.org/donate.

Did You Know?

January 20-27 is Trust Women Week:
The Trust Women/Silver Ribbon Campaign is a coalition of 42 organizations working to organize one million people in a Virtual March to demand that elected officials trust women to make their own decisions about their bodies and lives. The main banner messages are: Her Decision, Her Health U.S. Out of My Uterus Fix the Economy, Support My Autonomy Reproductive Rights are Human Rights

Healthy WINers
January is:
National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: According to the National Cervical Cancer Coalition, every year 11,000 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer and more than 4,000 will die from advanced forms of the disease. Routine pap smears are the best way to ensure early detection, however, cervical cancer is preventable. The National Cervical Cancer Coalition recommends HPV vaccines which target cancer-causing types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is virus transmitted through sexual contact and the single known cause of cervical cancer. Two forms of the virus, HPV 16 and HPV 18, account for more than 70% of all cervical cancer cases. To learn more about cervical cancer and what you can do to prevent it, visit the National Cervical Cancer Coalition. Thyroid Awareness Month: The thyroid

Network Announcement
Thursday, January 19, 6:30-8:30 pm: Celebrate the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade with the Womens Health Policy & Women in the Law Networks at a dinner discussion of ongoing threats to choice. SPEAKERS: Leila Abolfazli, Health & Reproductive Rights Counsel, National Womens Law Center Andrea Friedman, Director of Reproductive Health Programs, National Partnership for Women & Families Tarina Keene, Executive Director, NARAL VA

is responsible for metabolism regulation. It is estimated that millions of people, mostly women, have thyroid disorders but have not received a diagnosis. Fatigue, weight gain, sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures, rapid heart rate are all symptoms of an over or under-active thyroid. Source: MinorityHealth.gov

RSVP HERE.
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Meet a WINner in Womens Health!

zations and Congressional offices. I gathered contacts along the way and did my best to keep in touch with them. What skills/experiences have most helped to get you to this position? Apart from making me eligible for my fellowship, my J.D. taught me so much about the systems we put in place to elevate certain people and marginalize others. My degree has taught me a way of thinking that is hugely useful - how to identify exactly what the problem is and exactly what the possible solutions are. And if the solutions don't exist, how to create them within our jurisprudence. Did you always want to do this work? I've always known that I wanted to be an advocate. However, I did not always know that I wanted to be a lawyer. My original reason for going to law school was entirely pragmatic. During my junior year of college, I looked around at the women in politics that I admired, and asked myself how I could one day be among them. What has been your biggest reward in your career thus far? Biggest challenge? My biggest reward has been the amazing people I've gotten to know, most espe-

cially the other members of the Georgetown LSRJ chapter and my fellow LSRJ fellows. They inspire me with their ruthless pursuit of justice. My biggest challenge has been balancing that ingrained D.C. need to get ahead with what's really important: the socially disenfranchised women and girls I'm fighting for. What are your long-term goals? I am hoping to work on the Hill next in a substantive policy position, and maybe the Administration too. I want to use my law degree in a legislative analysis capacity as much as possible. I haven't ruled out running for office. What career advice would you give to other women who are seeking a similar career path? Master the art of the informational interview. Go to grad school. Find mentors who make you feel empowered, not young or inexperienced. Lift up other women. How has WIN helped with your career goals? WIN has provided me with the knowledge that Im not alone in my professional endeavors or political identity. There are many Democratic, pro-reproductive justice women in D.C. who care about policy making and want to shape our legal and political reality for generations to come.

Lucy Panza Policy Analyst, Women's Health & Rights Program Center for American Progress
What does your job entail? At CAP I support the Program Director's policy priorities. I monitor legislative developments, research and draft reports on reproductive justice issues, and participate in coalition discussions. Im also a Law Students for Reproductive Justice fellow, which placed me at CAP. What led you to this field? I've been passionate about reproductive rights since my college days. I started interning my freshman year of college working for advocacy organi-

Upcoming Regional Health Policy Events

January 18, 9:30 am: Kaiser Briefing to Release New 2012

February 11-12: Association of Maternal & Child

Data From 50-State Survey of Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment Policies. Barbara Jordan Conference Center, Washington D.C. Learn more. January 19-21: Families USA Conference. Health Action 2012. Washington, D.C. Learn more. January 23, 11:30am-4 pm: MD Women's Coalition for Health Care Reform Educational Form. Annapolis, MD. Learn more. January 23, 5-6 pm. NOW Roe v. Wade Supreme Court Vigil. U.S. Supreme Court Sidewalk, Washington, DC. Social to follow at Sewall-Belmont House. Learn more. January 24 & 25: Breast Cancer Action Webinar. New Report on Breast Cancer and the Environment: A Briefing for Advocates. Learn more. January 25, 1-2:30 pm: CMS Webinar. National Medicare Education Program (NMEP). Learn more. January 29, 12:30 6 pm. Commissions for Women of Montgomery County and Prince George's County: 2012 Womens Legislative Briefing. Universities at Shady Grove, Rockville, MD. Learn more.

Health Programs Annual Conference. Improving Maternal and Child Health Across the Life Span: Acting Today for Healthy Tomorrows. Washington, DC. Learn more. February 13-14: Academy Health National Health Policy Conference. Washington D.C. Learn more. March 1-2: Virginia Commonwealth University Conference. Race, Ethnicity, and Disabilities: State of the Science Conference. Arlington, Virginia. Learn more. March 3-5: Society for Public Health Education. 15th Annual Health Education Advocacy Summit, Washington, DC. Learn more.

New Health Policy Resources

We had so many resources this month, we had to create an external list! See HERE for new health policy reports, fact sheets, issue briefs, and fellowships!
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