Huggable Loveable Uterus

The Uterus Vote

Is there a Uterus VOTE? We think so.

Learn how your elected representatives are supporting legislation that will fund uterus-centric and reproductive health research! Their efforts will help expand our ability to address infertility and the many racial disparities in both maternity care and in proactively addressing reproductive conditions and disease. They will increase public awareness on topics such as menstruation and menopause. By educating yourself, you will become equipped to affect change by connecting with elected officials and engaging in the electoral, democratic process!

In Pennsylvania you can support legislative initiatives such as Expanding Access to Contraceptives, Providing Menstrual Hygiene Products in State Buildings, Protecting Patients’ Reproductive Healthcare Information, Protection for Nurses Providing Reproductive Health Services, the Reproductive Freedom Act and Expanding the Types of Professionals Who Can Provide Abortion Care. Get the details on these bills at https://pawomenshealthcaucus.com/legislation/

Nationally, you can track U.S. elected officials’ support of uterus-centric legislation, discover which bills are yet to be passed, and seek endorsements from current Congressional and Senatorial candidates.

With Legislative Tracker from the Society for Women’s Health Research,* you can view bills introduced to Congress related to women’s reproductive health. SWHR provides descriptions of these bills, as well as which elected officials introduced and are sponsoring them. You can also ask candidates to voice support for legislation as a part of their campaigns.

Try out this informative and powerful tool at https://swhr.org/policy/legislative-tracker/

At govtrack.us you can search for bills and view a breakdown of votes by party, as well as get a detailed report on how each individual member of Congress voted for them. Search legislation on the website by topic, such as sex and reproductive health, then further filter those results based on who introduced the bills and whether they passed into law.

The work of our elected representatives can also impact the cost of women’s reproductive healthcare. A year after the passage of Public Law 119–21, commonly called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” National Women’s Law Center published a study analyzing the law’s effects as people lose Medicaid and ACA health care coverage. They include devastating loss of access to primary reproductive healthcare, including abortion access, contraception, and maternity care, as well as greater burdens on women of color, low-paid workers, immigrant women, and women living in rural areas. https://nwlc.org/resource/one-year-later-the-devastating-fallout-of-trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-on-womens-health-care

Find out who your elected officials are! Locally, in your state legislature and at the Federal level, in Congress and in the Senate. (link to the tools page)

How National Institute of Health (NIH) Funding is Apportioned for Women’s Health Research

The Overview of the National Institutes of Health Investment in Women’s Health Research* from the National Library of Medicine focuses on the proportion of NIH funding going to research on women’s health. The numbers of people participating in the research and funding fall far below that of diseases experienced by male patients. This disparity exposes serious gaps in sex-specific research on women’s health*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK612400

Despite steady increases in total NIH grant funding, the proportion for Women’s Health Research has remained low, at an overall average of 8.8%, that has decreased over time, from 9.7% in Funding Year 2013 to 7.9% in FY 2023. Additionally, many conditions that predominantly or exclusively affect women’s health receive little to no funding.

The limited funds granted for Women’s Health Research had have had markedly uneven distribution across the major conditions affecting women’s health. As an example, Breast Cancer research greatly exceeds others in a wide margin in receiving NIH research funding. Additionally, many conditions that predominantly or exclusively affect women’s health receive little to no funding.

*Huggable Loveable Uterus acknowledges that not all people with uteruses identify as women! Gender variant, non-binary and transgender people have uteruses that menstruate, give birth, transition through Menopause and are struck with a full range of related conditions and diseases.

Find out who your elected officials are! Locally, in your state legislature and at the Federal level, in Congress and in the Senate. (link to the tools page for the second time)

How to Find Your Pennsylvania Legislators

Knowing who represents you is the first step to making your voice heard! Here’s a guide to finding your local, state, and federal officials in Pennsylvania.

Local City Representatives – Pittsburgh, PA

County-Level Representatives – Allegheny County, PA

Pennsylvania State Legislators

Federal Representatives – U.S. Congress

Tips for Using These Tools

  1. Have your home address ready, most tools require it.
  2. Bookmark your representatives’ pages for updates and contact info.
  3. Engage with their offices via email, phone, or town halls to make your voice heard!

Other Tools to Consider:

Vote Smart is an established nonprofit resource that provides information on candidates and elected officials, voting records, interest-group ratings, and election information.

With https://www.balletopedia.org the information is organized in one place, it covers many local races that receive little news coverage, and its nonpartisan format makes it more useful than relying only on campaign websites or partisan commentary.

https://yourleader.net/search This is a useful starting point for finding who represents you, especially local officials. Verify the results and contact details through the linked official government websites before relying on them.

NOTE: Information can become outdated, especially after elections, appointments, resignations, redistricting, or changes in an official’s position. For important claims, cross-check with:

  • The official government website
  • The legislature’s official voting-record database
  • Election results from the relevant state or local election authority
  • The official text of a bill, court decision, or ballot measure
  • Multiple reputable news organizations