The youngest woman currently serving in Congress has launched a new reproductive health agenda—pushing the Democratic Party to embrace a more expansive view of the issue.
For decades, the national debate has been deadlocked over abortion rights, culminating in the Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to an abortion in 2022. Rep.
“Pain related to periods, in particular, is something that I have dealt with for many, many years,” Ansari told Bloomberg Government in an interview last week. “Women’s pain, whether from periods, from endometriosis, from the number of reproductive healthcare issues that exist, is severely underfunded and under-researched and therefore we don’t have many solutions.”
The 34-year-old Ansari said being the youngest member in most rooms helped inspired her to talk openly about her experiences with reproductive health issues, which then led her to introduce the three-bill legislative package at the end of March.
A New Legislative Approach
The paid leave bill (H.R. 8158), which Ansari said is a “first-of-its-kind” legislation, would require employers to provide 12 days of paid leave each year for all types of reproductive health issues across a lifespan, such as period pain, menopause, endometriosis, IUD insertion, pregnancy terminations, vasectomies, and fertility treatments.
“No one should have to choose between their paycheck and their health to be able to manage that kind of incredible pain,” said Rep.
One of the other bills in the package (H.R. 8159) would require the Health and Human Services Department to conduct a study on pain management for gynecological procedures, such as IUD insertions—which are often conducted without providing any anesthesia or pain-relieving medication.
The third bill (H.R. 8160) would direct the National Institutes of Health to conduct research and fund clinical trials on premenstrual dysphoric disorder, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome or PMS, that can cause anxiety, depression, or an increase in suicidal thoughts.
Beyond Abortion Rights
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the nation’s largest abortion-rights group, has endorsed Ansari’s new agenda, citing the need for patients to access the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare.
It’s important for politicians to have a forward-looking view on reproductive health, especially in the face of abortion restrictions being implemented across many states, said Angela Vasquez-Giroux, vice president of communications for Planned Parenthood Votes.
“We’ve seen overwhelming success from candidates who have a plan and have a point of view,” said Vasquez-Giroux of Ansari’s legislative package, though she acknowledged the roadblocks to the bills becoming law. “Just because we can’t get something passed over the opposition of the majority at the time doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be putting forward our vision for the world we want to create.”
Ansari said the bill hasn’t attracted any Republican co-sponsors so far. Still, Ansari remains hopeful that her agenda could see some traction as she talks with GOP member offices.
“So many women in this country and across the world have been just trained naturally to accept their pain as normal, and I think will be really just relieved to see that this is being discussed, even as a possibility, and that’ll be how we’ll build support,” Ansari said.
Bloomberg Philanthropies provides financial support for Planned Parenthood; Michael Bloomberg is the majority owner of Bloomberg Government’s parent company.