One Hundred Years of Women's Suffrage: Health Care Advocacy, and Why We Vote.

Abstract

In recognition of the 100 anniversary of women's suffrage, we reviewed the difficulties reformists overcame in passing the 19th Amendment and discuss the similarities to current challenges in providing evidence-based, affordable, accessible women's health care. Many current health care problems arise from systemic, not medical, issues, and we can better focus on them through the lenses of the social determinants of health and reproductive justice. Addressing systemic inadequacies and injustices requires policy implementation and legislative activism, like that pursued by the suffragists. We propose that, ultimately, voting is our professional, fundamental duty to make the desired changes. We then present advocacy avenues and opportunities available to all women's health care specialists.