WASHINGTON \u2014 President Joe Biden signed an executive order to strengthen women\u2019s health research standards across federal agencies and prioritize its funding, part of a broader effort to close the gap on long-standing disparities.<\/p>\n
Biden called it the \u201cmost comprehensive executive actions ever taken to improve women\u2019s health\u201d at a White House event on Monday, and said it highlighted the administration\u2019s efforts to bolster economic gains for women.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur administration has turned around the economy because we focused on women,\u201d Biden said. \u201cIf you want to have the strongest economy in the world, you can\u2019t leave half the workforce behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under the order, the National Science Foundation and Department of Health and Human Services are instructed to research ways to use artificial intelligence to advance women\u2019s health research. It also directs the HHS to expand data collection on women\u2019s midlife health and launch an agenda that can guide investments toward menopause-related research. <\/p>\n
Women\u2019s health research has faced disparities for decades, from funding to trials. Women are historically underrepresented in clinical and research trials. A 2021 study in the Journal of Women\u2019s Health concluded that the National Institutes of Health\u2019s funding pattern favors males in nearly three-quarters of the cases where a disease primarily afflicts one gender.<\/p>\n
The White House has proposed $12 billion to create a women\u2019s health research fund at the NIH and establish a national network of women\u2019s research centers. Biden has referred to the funding as part of his self-proclaimed \u201cunity agenda,\u201d intended to gather support from both sides of the aisle. It\u2019s uncertain whether the funding, part of the president\u2019s broader $7.3 trillion budget proposal for the 2025 fiscal year, will be approved by Congress. <\/p>\n
Biden was joined Monday by first lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and journalist Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family who founded the Women\u2019s Alzheimer\u2019s Movement.<\/p>\n
Menopause Research<\/p>\n
The executive order instructs the Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Department to study and improve the treatment of menopause for women in the military and veterans. Meanwhile, the NIH will invest $200 million toward interdisciplinary research, such as the impact of menopause on heart, bone and brain health beginning in fiscal 2025. <\/p>\n
Shriver on Monday joked that Biden\u2019s actions likely mark the first time an executive order has mentioned menopause.<\/p>\n
Employers have increasingly been offering specific menopause benefits for staff as they look to address the $26.6 billion the US economy loses each year in relation to employees managing menopause symptoms. A recent analysis found that 15% of employers said they offer or plan to offer menopause benefits in 2024, up from 4% last year. <\/p>\n
The order is intended to address all diseases that affect women, and doesn\u2019t specifically target in-vitro fertilization or other forms of reproductive health, according to a senior administration official. <\/p>\n
Women\u2019s reproductive health has been a focal point on ballots since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022. Voters in Republican-leaning Ohio and swing-state Michigan enshrined abortion access in their state constitutions during recent elections.<\/p>\n
Democrats have made reproductive rights a central issue ahead of the November elections. Vice President Kamala Harris visited a women\u2019s health clinic where abortions are performed, as well as other services, in Minneapolis last week. The trip signaled the administration\u2019s focus on women\u2019s reproductive rights as Harris embarks on a \u201cFight for Reproductive Freedoms\u201d tour.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear those bragging about overturning Roe v. Wade, who support a national ban on abortion have no clue,\u201d Biden said Monday. <\/p>\n
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has expressed his support of a 16-week abortion ban in private conversations to allies. Trump said Sunday he would make a public decision \u201cpretty soon\u201d on what his campaign\u2019s stance on abortion would be. His stance would include the \u201cthree exceptions,\u201d he said, likely referring to allowing abortion in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the patient.<\/p>\n
\u2014With assistance from Michelle Jamrisko.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n