U.S. News & World Report: Playing Politics With Zika
Jamila K. Taylor, senior fellow with the Center for American Progress

“…[T]he conference funding measure passed [in the U.S. House last] Thursday … completely misses the mark when it comes to addressing the needs of women, who are most susceptible to grave health outcomes in the face of Zika virus. … The congressional Republicans’ Zika response package fails to allocate any funding for family planning and maternal health programs … Support for women’s health care is vital to ensure a comprehensive response that effectively combats Zika transmission. … With the impending July recess, Congress heads out no closer to a real solution than it was before passage of the Republican conference package. It is completely nonsensical that congressional Republicans would broker a deal that lacks sufficient emergency funding and omits vital support for women’s health programs. Even in the face of a critical public health concern that has been scientifically proven as a women’s health issue, women’s lives are once again at the center of political games on Capitol Hill” (6/24).