Statement from Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson regarding National Women's Health Week

May 13, 2002

Dear Friends:

Women's Health Week is a time for celebration. Over the past century, advances in women's health succeeded in doubling the lifespan of the average woman and provided a level of care previous generations could only have imagined.

Research is going forward in so many areas and treatments are becoming more and more advanced. From breast cancer and diabetes to prenatal care and osteoporosis, we are making significant strides in enabling women to live longer and healthier than at any time in history.

At the same time, Women's Health Week is also a time for reflection. Far too many women die annually of diseases and illnesses that we must continue to fight, and we must continue our efforts to reach out to women in traditionally underserved populations.

In our proposed FY 2003 budget, President Bush and I are calling for a $4.1 billion increase for National Institutes of Health research on women's health. This represents an increase of $730 million over the current fiscal year. And we are increasing funding for the HHS Office of Women's Health by more than $2 million; since taking office, the Bush Administration has increased the Office's budget by 50 percent.

Research into women's health is providing exciting breakthroughs. For example, researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development recently have announced the discovery of a gene present in the human egg that may be essential for early embryo development.

The gene may also play a role in premature ovarian failure, a mysterious condition in which the ovaries stop functioning years, and sometimes decades, before natural menopause.

So, although challenges clearly remain, the prospects for better health for women have never been brighter. Our job is to make sure those prospects turn into realities. And that's a job we can and will complete.

Sincerely,

Tommy G. Thompson