Presidential Document2023-10663
National Women's Health Week, 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 17, 2023
Signed
May 12, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 95 (Wednesday, May 17, 2023)</title>
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[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 [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-10663]
Presidential Documents
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.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-10663
Filed 5-16-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 17, 2023.
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