Women's Health

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, families across the country, including my own, celebrated Mother's Day. Many of us honor the extraordinary women in our lives with a call, brunch, or flowers. These are all lovely gestures.

If you ask a mom what she wants for Mother's Day, there is a good chance she will say peace of mind. A call doesn't give a mother time off from work to recover from childbirth and bond with her newborn. Brunch won't provide mental or physical healthcare. Flowers won't babysit or teach our children the alphabet.

This Chamber must do more for moms. What they need are:

Paid family leave to close the gender wage gap;

Access to basic women's healthcare;

Closing the coverage gap and eradicating bias from medicine to save the lives of women, especially Black women;

Quality, affordable childcare;

Universal pre-K to give our generation a strong educational foundation; and

Peace of mind that their child will not be blown away by gun violence.

Mr. Speaker, mothers are telling us what they need. I hope by next Mother's Day we listen.

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