Legislator Cornell was visibly overwhelmed by the evening’s turnout in the RCC auditorium, filled to standing room only. She thanked the many people, conference "friends" and supporters who worked for over a year to make the evening happen. She shared information about the circulating petitions calling on congress to appropriate funds for breast cancer research and on the local Cooperative Extension to become involved in a statewide effort to monitor and measure environmental risk factors. She noted that Rockland’s average incidence of breast cancer is on a level with Nassau County and is exceeded only by three counties in Northwest New York State.

Her comments then focused on an historical perspective on women’s health and women’s health research, pointing out that the renaissance idea of "man as the measure of all things" has carried over into medical research, where women have been systematically excluded from much research. Only in recent years has there been an awakening consciousness about women’s health needs and the deplorable lack of verifiable scientific knowledge about diseases and conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.

The women’s health research movement emerged in the 1970’s and 80’s from a unique coalescence of factors. Women were entering the work force in record numbers, including health and medical professions. Women were participating more in politics. Feminists were calling for equality in health care, and women’s advocacy groups like the National Breast Cancer Coalition were vocally demanding research. In 1977 there were 18 women in Congress (out of 435 members) and they established a bipartisan caucus which championed women’s health research and acted as a catalyst in establishing federal initiatives on women’s health, including coordination of the national breast cancer action plan, increased attention to domestic violence and environmental factors affecting women’s health, and designing model curricula to help medical schools incorporate a new approach to women’s health into the training of future physicians.

Legislator Cornell challenged women to be critical thinkers in the area of health, to comprehend how priorities are set and who sets them; who decides what resources are spent and where; and who decides whether efforts go towards a cure for breast cancer or putting people on the moon. Her point: politics plays an important role in the critical issues of women’s health.

Example: health insurance. Jobs many women hold, such as child care, home health care, part-time jobs, small business, manufacturing, often do not offer health insurance as a benefit. If they do, policies often exclude regular gynecological exams, routine pap smears, and mammograms despite clear evidence that these tests save women’s lives. A surprisingly high number of women in their child bearing years are stuck with health insurance that actually excludes pregnancy and childbirth or hits them with especially high deductibles if they get pregnant.

Example: job discrimination. A survey done by Working Women magazine found that employees with cancer are fired or laid off five times as often as those with other chronic illnesses. Breast cancer patients are experiencing discrimination and loss of employment as they are battling their disease.

The answer: political responsiveness such as that of the Legislature’s Special Committee on Women’s Issues that has enabled women in Rockland to play an important role in government- to identify needs affecting women and their families, to spotlight issues, to make recommendations and become agents of change. The Committee is government at its best- utilizing volunteer efforts to improve conditions, such as affordable housing, child care, care for dependent elderly, HIV prevention, and making a difference.

Harriet Cornell’s historical and political perspective provided the background for the two keynote speakers, Dr. Stephen Edge and Dr. Carolyn Runowicz.

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First Created: September 18,1997
Last Updated: September 18,1997