Yassamin Ansari's 'HER Agenda' Tackles Women's Healthcare Policies

Representative Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) is introducing three pieces of legislation that advance healthcare policies specifically addressing health issues affecting women, collectively known as the "Health, Equity, and Rights (HER) Agenda."

The first of these three bills is the Reproductive Healthcare Leave Act, which introduces 12 additional days of paid leave for instances of reproductive health issues, such as severe menstrual pain, menopause, endometriosis, IUD insertion, pregnancy terminations, vasectomies, and fertility treatments.

In a press release, Rep. Ansari shared that 13.8% of women surveyed in a 2019 study were in such severe pain from menstruation that they could not go into work, and another 80.7% reported that even when they did arrive for work, the pain kept them unable to be productive.

The second piece of legislation is the Gynecological Pain Management Study Act, a bill directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a study on identifying barriers to pain management options during and after gynecologic procedures, including IUD insertion, endometrial biopsies, and cancer screenings, since pain management is often limited simply to ibuprofen.

The last bill -- the Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Act -- directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research and educate the public on premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a more severe form of premenstrual disorder that is often mistakenly diagnosed as bipolar disorder (or undiagnosed altogether) despite 3.2% to 7.7% of women being affected by it.

In a statement, Rep. Ansari commented, "I have passed out because of period pain. Even now, every month, I have days where it feels like barbed wire is tightening inside me." She added, "I've taken 2,000 milligrams of ibuprofen in 24 hours and still been in tears from the pain. I often end up on the bathroom floor, in the fetal position, crying, moaning, or vomiting. Still, I've put on a blazer and gone to work."

"I may be the youngest woman serving in Congress, but this pain is older than me, older than my mother, older than my grandmothers. They endured it in silence. Future generations shouldn't have to," Ansari continued. "When we start speaking honestly about this pain, and when we finally pass policies that recognize it, we can change what's possible for every generation that comes after us."