Today, the Republican leaders of the House of Representatives brought to the floor H.R. 358, a bill to restrict women's ability to get insurance coverage for abortion coverage. That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. But what might surprise even the most jaded among us is a provision in the...

Today, the Institute of Medicine released an important report, Clinical Preventive Services for Women: Closing the Gaps, that recognizes the importance of access to preventive health services for women. For too long, women's health has been politicized but today the IOM shows how relying on rigorous science and research can...

This week House Republicans are extending their fight to weaken the health care law to children in school. Yes, that's right, children in school. At a hearing of the Health Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee this Wednesday, House Republicans will launch a new attack on the health care...

It's painfully clear the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could dwarf any environmental disaster in our nation's history.  This horrific tragedy has claimed 11 lives and contaminated Gulf waters with millions of gallons of oil. It is still is belching thousands of barrels into the water every...

When Congress began debating health reform earlier this year, I hoped our focus would remain on the central goal of improving access to affordable, quality health care rather than on divisive issues like end of life care or abortion. Let me begin by acknowledging that I am a strong supporter...

There is no question that reproductive health care has become a hot button issue in health care reform. This is very unfortunate. But despite the emotions and sensitivity surrounding the topic of abortion, lawmakers must not lose sight of the facts. Here are a few:

The Stupak-Pitts amendment goes well...

Enacting comprehensive health insurance reform is no easy task - if it was, we'd have done it decades ago. Making it more difficult is the blatant misinformation being spread by some opponents of reform as well as people who perhaps just don't know better. A case in point is the...

Progress is being made to save the lives of mothers and newborns around the world. Still, every minute, a woman dies of complications in pregnancy and childbirth, leaving her baby more likely to die within two years. Most of these deaths could be prevented. Join The Huffington Post and the...

President Bush's announcement today that he is lifting the Executive Ban placing a moratorium on new offshore drilling is disappointing, but really not that surprising. For the last 7½ years, he and Vice President Cheney have pushed an energy policy which focuses primarily on drilling everywhere. The result has been...

Apparently the Straight Talk Express hit a serious bump in the road as Senator McCain told reporters today "I certainly do not want to discuss that issue" in reference to insurance companies covering Viagra but not birth control. This is not the first time Senator McCain has struggled...

Today, I am announcing my endorsement of Barack Obama for President.

This wasn't an easy decision for me. Democrats were blessed this year with many talented and capable candidates, and I believe both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama would make fine presidents. But Sen. Obama's proven judgment, his hopeful...

As you may know, today is the 12th Annual National Day of Silence, an annual observation in which students across the country take a vow of silence to bring attention to anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) harassment faced by individuals in schools.

This year's event is being...

Earlier today I had the privilege of testifying on the topic of abstinence-only education before my colleagues on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee at their hearing entitled "Domestic Abstinence-Only Programs: Assessing the Evidence." The subject of abstinence-only education and its ineffectiveness is one that I am very familiar with....

Smoking kills, right? Everyone knows that. It kills not only smokers, but people who live and work around smokers. That's why cities, counties and even states around the country have enacted workplace smoking bans. And that's why there was such public outrage when cartoonish Joe Camel ads that...

As a school nurse, a mother of three, and a grandmother of seven, I know a thing or two about temper tantrums. Usually they occur when small children are tired, hungry, and frustrated, but yesterday on the House floor I saw a different kind of temper tantrum erupt from some...