Noah McCrory
Washington – Actress Halle Berry joined a group of bipartisan senators on Thursday to announce new legislation to promote menopause research, training and education.
“I’m here because I’m defending myself. Because I know that when a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women,” Berry said. “And all women go through menopause.”
O account, called the Advancing Menopause Care and Midlife Women’s Health Act, is sponsored by a group of women, including Senator Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington; Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska; Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin; Susan Collins, Republican from Maine; Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota; and Shelley Moore Capito, Republican from West Virginia. It would dedicate tens of millions of dollars to menopause research, public awareness and training of health care providers.
“Menopause is not a dirty word. It’s not something to be ashamed of. And it’s not something that Congress or the federal government should ignore,” Murray said. “There is no excuse for cheating on this issue when it comes to federal dollars.”
Murray said that when he arrived in Congress, issues such as child care, paid leave, workplace harassment and women’s health were “an afterthought at best.” But she said the country has come a long way in terms of representing women in Congress and paying attention to the issues.
“There are still many ways in which women’s needs are ignored, overlooked or stigmatized – and menopause is a great example,” Murray said. “For too long, menopause has been neglected, underinvested in and left behind.”
Berry told reporters that her own doctor refused to say the word “menopause” to her.
“I told him, ‘You know why I’m having this problem, right?’ And he said, ‘Yes, I know.'” She said that when she asked him why, he replied, “‘Tell me why you’re having this problem.'” I’m not going to say that,” Berry said. “So I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to have to do what no man can do: I have to say it. I said, ‘I’m in menopause!'”
The legislation’s path through Congress remains unclear. But Murray said the goal currently is to get as many cosponsors as possible before taking the bill to Senate leadership. And the bipartisan display on Thursday, along with the injection of celebrity, suggested there could be more supper in the upper chamber.
Murkowski said the effort gained momentum after a meeting with Berry on Capitol Hill last year, where the Alaska senator described a moment when “you just stop and say, ‘Why not — why don’t we focus on menopause?’ “
“Why has this subject become what seems to be a little taboo?” Murkowski said. “Why don’t we really allow ourselves to look at the entire spectrum of women’s lives?”
Berry, who spoke about her own experience with menopause, defended the “shame” of coming out of menopause.
“It has to be destigmatized,” she said. “We have to talk about this very normal part of our lives that happens.”
