Halle Berry joins senators to announce menopause legislation

Washington — Actor Halle Berry joined a radical of bipartisan senators connected Thursday to denote caller authorities to beforehand menopause research, grooming and education. 

"I'm present due to the fact that I'm lasting up for myself. Because I cognize that erstwhile a pistillate stands up for herself, she stands up for each women," Berry said. "And each women spell done menopause."

The bill, called the Advancing Menopause Care and Mid-Life Women's Health Act, is sponsored by a radical of women including Sens. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat; Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican; Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin; Susan Collins, a Maine Republican; Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat; and Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia. It would give tens of millions of dollars to menopause research, to rise nationalist consciousness and to bid wellness attraction providers.

"Menopause is not a atrocious word. It's not thing to beryllium ashamed of. And it is not thing Congress oregon the national authorities should ignore," Murray said. "There is nary excuse for shortchanging this contented erstwhile it comes to national dollars."

Murray said erstwhile she came to Congress, issues similar childcare, paid leave, workplace harassment and women's wellness were "an afterthought astatine best." But she said the state has travel a agelong mode with women's practice successful Congress and attraction to the issues. 

"There are inactive truthful galore ways women's needs are ignored, overlooked, oregon stigmatized — and menopause is simply a large example," Murray said. "For excessively long, menopause has been overlooked, nether invested successful and near behind."

Berry told reporters that her ain doc adjacent refused to accidental the connection "menopause" to her. 

"I said to him, 'You cognize wherefore I'm having this issue, right?' And helium says, 'Yes, I know.'" She said erstwhile she asked him why, helium responded, "'You archer maine wherefore you're having the issue.'" After going backmost and forth, "I yet realized helium wasn't going to accidental it," Berry said. "So I thought, 'OK, I'm going to person to bash what nary antheral tin do: I person to accidental it. I said, 'I'm successful menopause!'" 

The legislation's way guardant successful Congress remains unclear. But Murray said the extremity astatine contiguous is to get arsenic galore cosponsors arsenic imaginable earlier bringing the measure to Senate leadership. And the bipartisan showing connected Thursday, on with the injection of celebrity, suggested that it could spot further supper successful the precocious chamber. 

Murkowski said the effort gained steam aft a gathering with Berry astatine the Capitol past year, wherever the Alaska legislator described a infinitesimal erstwhile "you conscionable benignant of halt and say, 'Why not — wherefore haven't we focused connected menopause?'"

"Why has it go this contented that seems to beryllium a small taboo?" Murkowski said. "Why person we not allowed ourselves to truly look astatine the afloat beingness spectrum of women?"

Berry, who's been forthcoming astir her ain acquisition with menopause, advocated for the "shame" being taken retired of menopause. 

"It has to beryllium destigmatized," she said. "We person to speech astir this precise mean portion of our beingness that happens."

In:
• Menopause
• United States Senate