Congress/ACOG

[Guest guest]

:

Well, involving your Congressman/woman cannot hurt. I just don't think

most men get it, and unfortunately most Members are men. Living in DC

(or suburbs) for 10 years, and being involved for 5 on Congressional

issues, I think (in blunt reality) that this is a low priority..... (I

lived on C-Hill for 5 years, 3 blocks from the Capitol, Supreme Court

and Lib. of Congress. Worked recently for NREL, the National Renewable

Energy Lab (part of DOE), in the ACOG building, believe it or not. They

do have major lobbying functions there. I never interacted w/them,

professionally. (Worked on national environmental policy issues --

water/energy conservation -- policy and implementation of programs. All

things being directly attacked by this administration, just as I'm

unemployed and looking for a job.)

Perhaps understanding/knowing the female members of Congress who work on

women's health issues might be a better approach. Snowe (R-ME), Boxer

(D-CA), for example. My next door neighbor for several years was

Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), another option. At the time I knew her, she

asked my opinion about environmental issues, and how to affect change,

legislatively, but we never discussed women's issues. She's a strong

women's advocate, however, and a good, active Democrat.

FYI -- Had an interesting building there! There actually were many

Members who lived in our building, five at the time I left. Quite

interesting conversations in the elevator, including those with Hayworth

(R-AZ), the most conservative member of Congress, next to Helms.

(He also lived on my floor). We always seemed to meet in the elevator

when I had my laundry basket. Once he was returning late at night, and

I asked him what kind of mischief he was up to these days (when Congress

had Republican control for the first time in years). He laughed and

said that some people thing we're doing good things. Well, at least we

both knew stood, politically. Living on Capitol Hill was an interesting

experience, and in this building, was an interesting experience!

Your ideas are good, , but I just truly believe that it won't go

anywhere soon. Just not an issue (at the national level)... given the

fact that most mds and Congresspeople are male. I'm thankful for a

kind, caring and enlightened MD, who did say that he was a guy and hey,

if he had this thing growing inside him, bleeding, causing pain and

giving him problems he would remove it. BUT, he was my MD and WE had to

find a solution that worked for me, and proceeded to spend an HOUR

discussing my options. Got to love that man. Had five women waiting

and I felt quite guilty, but he gave ME the personal time that I needed.

Haven't done Hill work in 6 years now, and no longer know the players,

but would be happy to discuss further.

Marilyn Arnold

Belzer wrote:

> I guess it's really impotant that we let physicians

> know how we feel about this. Maybe we could write a

> group letter and send it to the ACOG and the AMA and

> the NIH. Do ya think? And we could send it to

> Congress. I mean if doc's were suddenly aware that

> more women know the consequences to their health and

> lives of hyst, backed up by studies showing that our

> concerns are not bogus, then there will have to be a

> new level of pressure put on the whole system to do

> more in the way of alternatives. If we make the

> average gyn who is still offering dark ages counseling

> to hihs patients, not telling about UAE or willing or

> capable to do a myo or to refer to someome who

> is....this guy will start to look like an outdated

> loser if the awareness really hits the general

> population. I'd like to think of them scrambling to

> keep up. I don't understand why the ACOG dosen't hold

> some advanced training seminars to get these guys

> trained in the high tech myo stuff. Maybe they would

> if we did a letter campaign. I'm game.

>

> B

>

> __________________________________________________

>