The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to withhold 30 percent of the funding allocated for the Office of Women's Health in 2007, an unnamed, high level official told the Washington Post. The source, who is not authorized to speak publicly, said that $1.2 million will be withheld from the Office's $4 million budget, and the remaining $2.8 million has already been appropriated or spent. The decision would effectively halt any further projects in 2007.
The Office of Women's Health was created in 1994 to address the need for separate research and attention for women's health issues. At the time, other offices within the FDA reported lacking the time, funds, or knowledge to concentrate on women's needs. The findings of the research conducted by the Office of Women's Health have provided valuable health information about menopause, pregnancy, birth control, and other issues relevant to women.
Congress has annually allocated $4 million to the Office of Women’s Health, which has been imperative to funding its research. Martha R. Nolan, vice president at the Society for Women's Health Research, a Washington advocacy group, expressed her concerns about the ramifications of the budget cut, saying "We fear this is the first step toward eliminating the Office of Women's Health. We must not allow this office to be eliminated or reduced to an empty shell that has no program funding," the Washington Post reports.
Media Resources: Washington Post 2/27/07; Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report 2/27/07
6/18/2013 Supreme Court Strikes Down Proof of Citizenship Voter Requirements - On Monday, the United States Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship before being allowed register to vote.
In an opinion written [PDF] by Justice Antonin Scalia, the Court ruled that the Arizona statute violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA, also known as the "Motor Voter Law") of 1993, which created a federal form that individuals can mail in to register to vote in federal elections. . . .
6/18/2013 Pakistani Women's University Bus, Hospital Bombed - A bus for a women's university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.
The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. . . .
6/18/2013 Taliban Attack In Afghan Capital As NATO Transfers Power - Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country's security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul. . . .
