Weekly Women’s Update: Happy National Women’s Health Week!

Greetings All –

This week is National Women’s Health Week, an opportunity for all women to prioritize their health well-being by scheduling annual screening and exams. Due to the Affordable Care Act, more than 20.4 million women with private health insurance have received preventive health services at no additional cost.

Valerie Jarrett, the Chair of the Council on Women and Girls, addresses the Violence Against Women Act in a timely and important blog post.

On Monday, President Obama delivered the commencement address at Barnard College. Barnard is one of the famous “Seven Sisters” — liberal arts colleges founded to offer first class education to women before many elite institutions admitted women.

Thank you for taking the time to watch, read, and share this material.

Very Best Wishes,
The Council on Women and Girls

President Obama at Barnard College

Monday was a wonderful day, not just for the promising young women graduating from Barnard College, but for the recognition of women’s accomplishments everywhere, and all of the people who are committed to their success. Read more about the President’s visit here.

Please find (and feel free to share) the following:

• A White House blog post on the event;
• Full video of the President’s remarks; and
• A transcript of the President’s remarks.

President Barack Obama sits with Barnard College President Debora Spar, left, and Chairwoman Jolyne Caruso-Fitzgerald before he delivers a commencement address for Barnard College graduates at Columbia University in New York, May 14, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Update on the Violence Against Women Act

The Violence Against Women Act puts women’s safety above partisan politics. Last month, Democratic and Republican Senators came together to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The bill they approved would address the high rates of domestic violence committed against Native American women, ensure that LGBT victims have access to services, and make college campuses safer places to live and study. Through its bipartisan vote, the Senate not only acted to preserve the original bill — they improved it, protecting even more women from violence and abuse.

However, the bill passed in the House of Representatives leaves out the important new protections found in the Senate bill, exposing more students, Native Americans, and LGBT Americans to the threat of violence. To learn more about the Violence Against Women Act, read this blog post by Valerie Jarrett, the Chair of the Council on Women and Girls.

National Women’s Health Week

This week is National Women’s Health Week, an opportunity for all women to prioritize their health well-being by scheduling annual screening and exams. President Obama’s health reform law requires that new health insurance plans cover preventative services such as memmograms, pap smears, and well-woman visits with no co-pay or deductible. Learn more about the law here.

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