Menopause, write Jennifer Weiss-Wolf and Tamsen Fadal, is "having a moment," and the two authors make the case that it is not only "overdue" but extends to the ballot box. "Bodily autonomy is not solely about pregnancy and abortion," they write. "Menopausal women have a lot at stake on the ballot this year." By their count, roughly 75 million women in the US are either menopausal, post-menopausal, or in perimenopause. The op-ed does not make any endorsements but encourages women to consider three main factors "critical to menopause"—the need for more federal research, local and state ballot issues that affect affordable care (they list examples), and the need for better training of health care professionals and public awareness—and find out where their local representatives stand.
"Like our younger counterparts, we too must be able to make informed choices about our health," they write. "We deserve access to affordable, competent medical care and treatment from trained professionals. We have every right and reason to demand lawmakers and political leaders invest in our well-being, our dignity, our humanity." They laud the trend of high-profile celebs such as Oprah Winfrey and Halle Berry talking about menopause, even if the public discourse includes comments like one (male) Senate candidate suggesting that women over 50 have no say in reproductive issues. "Women should vote like their lives depend on it, because they do," the authors say. (Read the full op-ed.)
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