March 5, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 44 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Pages H1524-H1525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TIME TO RAISE ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS AND FUNDING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Malinowski). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 3, 2019, the gentlewoman from Iowa (Ms. 
Finkenauer) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the 
majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Ms. FINKENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. FINKENAUER. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to represent the great 
State of Iowa and the First Congressional District.
  We have been getting a lot of great things done here in the House, 
working across the aisle and moving a lot of bipartisan bills forward 
since I got sworn in over a year ago. It has been an honor to get to 
represent my district and have its back every day.
  In the middle of all of this, I happen to have gotten engaged a 
couple of months ago to my very kind and supportive fiance, who is 
sitting up there in the gallery right now. He has been there through so 
much of it, and I am grateful every day.

  You see, we are very much looking forward to one day starting our 
life together and are talking about raising a family and doing it in 
Iowa and how much that means to us.
  So it would surprise most folks to know that just about 4 weeks ago, 
on a Friday after votes, I was back where I stay in D.C., sitting on my 
bed, doubled over in pain, googling hysterectomies.
  It was a pain familiar to me, stabbing in my lower left abdomen, and 
a tight pain like two fists clenched together in a vise grip in my 
lower back.
  I know this pain well because I have been experiencing it 
intermittently for over the past decade because I have a condition 
called endometriosis. I have had this most of my adult life.
  I was diagnosed at a young age, luckily, at the early age of 18. See, 
a lot of women don't get an accurate diagnosis until much later in 
life.
  Endometriosis is a very painful condition where the tissue that 
normally lines the uterus grows outside and can even attach to organs 
and nerves. Endometriosis is also the number one cause of 
hysterectomies for women ages 30 to 35.
  I have already had two surgeries, laparoscopies, where they went in 
and cut off or burnt off the tissue. I have white-knuckled my way 
through more flights, events, and days knocking on doors than I can 
count.
  There are so many women out there who have been told that the 
stabbing pain in your lower left abdomen is normal, or they are told 
that the tightness in their lower back that they are doubled over with 
in their beds is normal, but none of that is normal.
  On this particular day, 4 weeks ago, I felt like I had enough. So I 
sat there, frustrated at the prospect of more delays in the airport in 
severe pain. I was looking at some of the most extreme options that are 
out there that would mean I couldn't even have children.
  And to be honest with you, I just got frustrated because it shouldn't 
be this hard. It should be more well known, and there should be more 
options for treatment.
  As I was looking up hysterectomies, I came across a place called the 
Endometriosis Foundation of America, and their website was full of 
information, some that I didn't even know as somebody who has been 
living with this for over 10 years, like the fact that endometriosis 
affects 1 in 10 women worldwide and an estimated 7 to 10 million in the 
United States alone, or that it is the leading cause of infertility, 
but there is no known cure.
  You see, when I was looking up hysterectomies, the reason there are 
not more options, or options are slow to come by is because it is also 
one of the least-funded diseases and conditions by Congress, by the 
National Institutes of Health.
  So once I decided to start talking about this, the number of people, 
whether it is their staff who has it, or their sister who has it, or 
possibly somebody they work with every day, or people they have met on 
the campaign, I mean, it just goes on and on, the number of people this 
touched, the women who have it and the men and women who love them.
  I was also reminded, as I decided to look into this, how lucky I am. 
You see, I am lucky that I had a mom who believed me, who believed my 
pain, and good health insurance from my dad's union, where we could go 
to doctor after doctor after doctor until finally somebody said: ``Hey, 
she might have this. We better take a look at it.'' That is when, 
again, I was able to be diagnosed.
  I am lucky to have great support from my staff and others. But there 
are so many women across the United States who don't have that support.
  When I decided to talk about this just a few weeks ago, I was 
actually getting my hair trimmed, and my hairdresser heard me say the 
word ``endometriosis.'' She looked at me, and she said: Do you have it?
  I said: Yes, I have it.
  And she said: Well, right now, I am feeling like I am being stabbed 
in my lower left abdomen.
  I said: Yes, I know that pain.
  She was working three jobs, and she is dealing with it every day. It 
is something where she doesn't have the luxury to not show up. Many 
women don't. You just push through it, and you get through that pain 
day in and day out.

[[Page H1525]]

  I know there are so many women hearing this today who may be hearing 
their pain described for the very first time, and that is why I want to 
make sure that I give a voice to them today and say that it is okay to 
talk about this. That is why I decided to do what I am doing today.
  See, I am in this position with a platform as a Member of Congress, 
and I can talk about this important issue that touches so many women 
across the U.S.
  To be honest with you, I didn't say anything for years because I was 
afraid that people would think I was weak, that I couldn't do my job, 
but that is not true. I show up every day; I have done it for the last 
decade. I have represented my State and my District well, and it is not 
weak to talk about it.
  In fact, the women who are living with it every day, they are strong 
as heck. It is time that people across the country know about what this 
is.
  Every day, women are pushing through their pain and living their 
lives. They are not weak; they are strong.
  And I am not standing here alone because once I started talking about 
this with my colleagues, I found out how many other Members of Congress 
are touched by this or know people who have this.
  Again, we found out about sisters, comms directors they work with. In 
fact, even just this morning, after I started talking about it, there 
was another Congressman who came up to me and said his wife has it. As 
I talked about it more in my personal life, I have also met more women 
who struggle with endometriosis.
  So I am standing here today with them and in support of them and 
their pain. And today, at the beginning of this Endometriosis Awareness 
Month, we are launching the very first Endometriosis Caucus.
  Through this caucus, this bipartisan caucus, we are going to raise 
awareness with the public and in Congress to get more funding and the 
kind of support that this disease deserves. We need to end the stigma 
around endometriosis and bring more attention to this condition 
affecting millions of women, their families, and their friends.
  Today, I ask my colleagues in Congress, and everyone watching, to 
join me in this movement, to join this caucus. We have to up endo 
funding, up endo research, and up endo awareness.
  It is too important, and there are too many women across the United 
States and worldwide who deal with this every day to be ignored for far 
too long.
  Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak here today 
about this important issue.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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