NEW YORK – May 5 – Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc., announced its support for the Research for All Act (H.R 2101). Introduced last week by Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) and Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), the legislation seeks to guarantee biomedical research is sensitive to gender disparities and benefits women and men equally.
“We applaud Representatives Cooper and Lummis for their leadership on this issue,” said Marcie Natan, National President of Hadassah. “Focusing our efforts on education and promoting reform on the issue of gender disparities in medical research is a critical initiative for our organization.”
“There is an alarming gap in diagnostic tools, treatment protocols and drug reactions between men and women, leading to misdiagnoses and delayed treatment. This is simply unacceptable at a time when we have the technology and ability to do better.”
Hadassah’s 330,000 members, associates, and supporters—found in every Congressional district—continue to educate U.S. legislators and the American public about this issue. Hadassah is also proud to raise public awareness of this legislation in partnership with the Society for Women’s Health Research, which has been a leader in this arena for many years.
Throughout its 100-plus years of history, Hadassah has been at the forefront of health and wellness, especially for women. The Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel conducts cutting-edge medical research and provides patients worldwide with the most sophisticated care available. In the United States, Hadassah is renowned for its health education and passionate activism on issues such as breast cancer, heart disease, genetic information non-discrimination and stem cell research.
While the last two decades have seen tremendous progress towards gender equity, particularly in late-stage clinical trials, early-stage medical studies still tend to be conducted mostly on male animals, or fail to take sex differences into consideration at all.
“To save more women’s lives, treatments and medical protocols must be based on research and studies conducted on women,” said Natan. “We believe the Research for All Act has the power to make a difference and positively impact the health of women, families and communities throughout the U.S. and around the world.”