Women

Report Underscores Need For Inclusion Of Reproductive Health In National Reform Efforts, Highlights Roadblocks for Women in Current Health Care System

WASHINGTON, DC — Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) today applauded the Department of Health and Human Services for a new report, released during National Women’s Health Week, placing an important spotlight on the impact that the nation’s health care crisis is having on women, particularly women of childbearing age.    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today saluted this year’s Best 50 Women in Business, saying their successes and accomplishments help Pennsylvania improve its business climate.

“Pennsylvania applauds the vital contributions that women entrepreneurs and leaders make to their communities and to the economic development of our state,” Governor Rendell said. “The women selected for this prestigious honor represent a wide range of business sectors and make a strong impact on business growth and job creation in every region of the state.”    » read more »

Women Particularly at Health and Economic Risk

New York, NY, May 11, 2009—Women are more likely than men to feel the pinch of rising health costs and eroding health benefits, with about half (52%) of working-age women reporting problems accessing needed care because of costs, compared to 39 percent of men, a new Commonwealth Fund study finds.

Women who are insured but have inadequate coverage are especially vulnerable: 69 percent of underinsured women have problems accessing care because of costs, compared to half (49%) of underinsured men.    » read more »

Ends Ineffective Abstinence-Only Programs, Provides New Funding for Evidence-Based Comprehensive Sex Education — Missed Opportunities to Strengthen Title X And Ensure Women’s Access to Full Range of Care

March 10, 2009 -- “As our nation works to strengthen women’s health care, there is both good and bad news in this budget. While the budget is a step in the right direction toward reducing alarmingly high unintended pregnancy rates and helping ensure that young people have the information and health care they need to become healthy and productive adults, it misses an opportunity to build on one of the nation’s most effective programs in reducing unintended pregnancies,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).    » read more »

$1 Million Grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation Funds Education, Job-Training and Entrepreneurial Support Programs for Women and Girls

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 2009 - The Wal-Mart Foundation today announced a $1 million grant to CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Projects funded by this grant will focus on empowering impoverished young women around the world through education, job-training and entrepreneurial support programs.    » read more »

04/28/2009 -- WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today made the following statement on equal pay:

"One of the most fundamental principles on which our nation was founded is the belief that we are all created equal.

"Yet today, women earn just 78 cents for every dollar a man earns. Women of color earn even less. Countless women are losing thousands of dollars in salary, income and retirement savings over the course of a lifetime. As a result, women often must work longer or harder to make ends meet.

"As the secretary of labor, I am committed to ensuring that the women in our country and around the world have a voice and advocate.    » read more »

New York State MWBE Task Force Delivers Preliminary Report Outlining Sharp Improvement in the Rate at which State-supported Debt Issuers Empanel and Engage Minority and Women Owned Businesses

April 28, 2009 -- The New York State Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Task Force today delivered its preliminary report to Governor David A. Paterson. The Task Force, established by Executive Order No. 10, reviewed the debt-issuing practices of the five authorities which issue State-supported debt, and wrote recommendations designed to improve their performance in retaining MWBE underwriting firms. The Task Force’s final report is due to the Governor in January, 2010.    » read more »

March 26, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that the state is proposing to use over $2 million in federal stimulus funding and required state funds match for a wide range of programs to prevent violence against women and to help law enforcement prosecute sexual assaults and domestic violence.

Among other advances, the money would enable domestic violence shelters to be staffed 24 hours a day, fund a training program to address dating violence among teens and pay for medical experts trained to help sexual assault victims cope with the experience and trained to collect evidence necessary to prosecute their attackers.    » read more »

March 24, 2009 -- Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) applauded today’s ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordering the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) to expand access to emergency contraception (EC), also known as Plan B.

“Today’s federal court ruling puts women’s health ahead of politics,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “We must do everything we can to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and protect the health and safety of all women.”    » read more »

Decision Underscores Need for Reform at FDA

March 23, 2009 -- A federal district court today ruled the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) violated its own rules when it restricted over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B to women over 18. The New York City-based court ordered the FDA to reconsider its decisions regarding over-the-counter access and age restrictions and to extend over-the-counter access to 17 year olds within 30 days.    » read more »

By Cecile Richards, President Of Planned Parenthood Federation Of America

March 19, 2009 -- “With nearly 750,000 teens getting pregnant every year, the United States is facing a teen pregnancy health care crisis. When something is broken, our country works to fix it. We must work together to fix this crisis and reduce unintended pregnancies.    » read more »

March 19, 2009 -- The birth rate for U.S. teens aged 15 to 19 increased by about 1 percent in 2007, from 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006 to 42.5 in 2007, according to a report Printable PDF released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the second year in a row that teen births have gone up. They increased 3 percent in 2006 following a 14-year decline.

Birth rates also increased for women in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, but remained unchanged for younger teens and pre-teens aged 10-14. Only Hispanic teens noted a decline in the birth rate, which fell 2 percent in 2007 to 81.7 births per 1,000.    » read more »

March 11, 2009 -- By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Over the past generation, our society has made tremendous progress in eradicating barriers to women's success. A record number of women are attending college and graduate school. Women make up a growing share of our workforce, and more women are corporate executives and business owners than ever before, helping boost the U.S. economy and foster U.S. competitiveness around the world. Today, women are serving at the highest levels of all branches of our Government.    » read more »

March 11th, 2009 -- A little while ago the President signed an Executive Order to ensure there is always an eye kept on how every government agency is addressing the challenges confronted by women of all ages. The White House Council on Women and Girls will be chaired by Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, with Director of Public Liaison Tina Tchen serving as Executive Director, and will made up of Cabinet Secretaries and other top White House staff. It will begin its work immediately by asking each agency to analyze their current status and ensure that they are focused internally and externally on women.

During its first year, the Council will also focus on formulating comprehensive, coordinated policies in the following areas:    » read more »

March 11, 2009 -- President Obama today signed an Executive Order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. The mission of the Council will be to provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families.

The Council will be chaired by Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor, and will include as members cabinet-level federal agencies. The Executive Director of the Council will be Tina Tchen, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Public Liaison at the White House.    » read more »