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VOTE! It Does a Body Good!

By Dianne Munevar, Public Policy Intern, and Kourtney Stamps, Communications Intern

October 29, 2004

In honor of the Love Your Body campaign, NOW encourages you to do something good for your body. VOTE! That’s right, vote! How can voting be good for your body?

Let's start by looking at some factors that might affect the way you view your body. A woman who is healthy is more likely to have a positive body image. And women are more likely to be healthy when our lawmakers draft and support "healthy" legislation.

When lawmakers work to keep our jobs secure, we are able to afford nutritious foods for ourselves and our families. When lawmakers work to expand access to healthcare, we are more likely to see a doctor when a health concern arises. When lawmakers work to protect our environment, our air is safer to breathe and our water is safer to drink. When lawmakers care about food and drug safety standards, the groceries we buy and the medicines we need are safer to consume. All of these issues connect our health and well-being to the efforts of our representatives in government.

In the past four years, a number of congressional bills were introduced that would have had a positive impact on women's health. While a few of these bills passed, most never made it out of committee. Some of these bills proposed funding for research, such as the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act of 2003, which would have provided financial backing for breast cancer research. Other bills were introduced to educate the public about specific health issues, such as the Emergency Contraception Education Act or the Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act. It is important that we elect candidates who will support progressive legislation for women's health and strongly oppose negative legislation, such as the so-called Partial-Birth Abortion Ban, which prohibits some of the safest abortion methods after 13 weeks of pregnancy.

The Supreme Court and federal appeals courts also have an enormous impact on women's health issues. In order to preserve laws that protect a woman's body and health, we must vote for a president and senate who will nominate and confirm judges who are committed to protecting women's rights. Many of our rights are determined by federal court decisions, such as Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal. The next president we elect will have the opportunity to name more justices to the Supreme Court. With a conservative president and Senate, we run the risk of losing Roe v. Wade and other fundamental civil rights.

Voting for legislators who prioritize women's health concerns is imperative on Nov. 2. Over 38 million eligible women voters did not vote in the 2000 election. These women let other people choose their legislators for them. For the past four years, we've seen the consequences of not participating in the political process. The decisions before us in November are too important to let others decide.

Still not convinced? Look at it this way. What if you weren't choosing a legislator, but a doctor? You wouldn't want anyone else to make that decision for you. You'd want to pick someone who was well-informed about women's health issues and concerned about your personal well-being. You'd want her to be a good listener. You'd want her to ask you questions and listen to your answers. You'd want her to take your concerns seriously and not accuse you of overreacting. You'd want her to provide you with reliable information supported by facts. You'd want her to be accessible and you'd want to be able to count on her in an emergency.

Whether we like it or not, our legislators make decisions that affect women's health. Therefore, we must hold them to the same criteria we expect from our physicians. With your vote, you will choose a legislator to represent your health concerns and empower him or her to work toward defending all women's rights.

So go do something good for yourself, something good for your body. Get out there and VOTE!