I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 5104
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for expanding, inten-
sifying, and coordinating activities with respect to research on auto-
immune diseases in women.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 11, 2002
Mr. LYNCH (for himself, Mr. CAPUANO, Ms. BROWN of Florida, Ms.
MILLENDER-MCDONALD, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mrs. CAPPS,
Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr.
SERRANO, Ms. LEE, and Mr. WYNN) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for
expanding, intensifying, and coordinating activities with
respect to research on autoimmune diseases in women.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Women’s Autoimmune
Diseases Research and Prevention Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds as follows:
(1) The term ‘‘autoimmune disease’’ refers to a
varied group of more than 80 serious, chronic ill-
nesses that involve the human organ system, the
nervous, gastrointestinal and endocrine systems, the
skin and other connective tissues, eyes, and blood
and blood vessels.
(2) These diseases include, but are not limited
to, Epstein-Barr virus, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis,
scleroderma, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syn-
drome, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, and
vasculitis syndromes.
(3) 50 million Americans are afflicted with
some form of autoimmune disease.
(4) 75 percent of autoimmune diseases occur in
women, most frequently during but not limited to
the childbearing years.
(5) Taken together, autoimmune diseases rep-
resent the fourth largest cause of disability among
women in the United States.
(6) Female-to-male ratios in autoimmune dis-
eases are dramatically skewed toward women, in
some cases by ratios as high as 50 to 1.
(7) Autoimmune diseases remain among the
most poorly understood and poorly recognized of any
category of illnesses; while science suggest they may
have a genetic component, they can cluster in fami-
lies as different illnesses.
(8) To help women live longer, healthier lives,
more research is needed to shed light on genetic as
well as hormonal and environmental risk factors that
contribute to the causes of these diseases, as well as
providing early diagnosis and treatment.
SEC. 3. EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVITIES
REGARDING 
AUTOIMMUNE 
DISEASES 
ON
WOMEN.
Section 409E of the Public Health Service Act (42
U.S.C. 284i) is amended—
(1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as
subsections (e) and (f), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing subsection:
‘‘(d) CERTAIN ACTIVITIES REGARDING WOMEN.—
With respect to the plan under paragraph (1) of sub-
section (c), the Coordinating Committee shall ensure that
provisions of the plan developed under paragraph (2) of
such subsection include provisions for the following:
‘‘(1)(A) Basic research, epidemiological re-
search, and other appropriate research concerning
the etiology and causes of autoimmune diseases in
all women, including genetic, hormonal, and environ-
mental factors.
‘‘(B)(i) Giving priority under subparagraph (A)
to research regarding environmental factors.
‘‘(ii) The coordination of (to the extent prac-
ticable and appropriate), and providing additional
support for, research described in clause (i) that is
conducted by public or nonprofit private entities.
‘‘(2)(A) The development of information and
education programs for patients, health care pro-
viders, and others as appropriate on genetic, hor-
monal, and environmental risk factors associated
with autoimmune diseases in women, and on the im-
portance of the prevention or control of such risk
factors and timely referral with appropriate diag-
nosis and treatment.
‘‘(B) The inclusion in programs under subpara-
graph (A) of information and education on the prev-
alence and nature of autoimmune diseases, on risk
factors in women, and on health-related behaviors
that can improve health status.
‘‘(3) Outreach programs for purposes of para-
graphs (1) and (2) that—
‘‘(A) are directed toward historically un-
derserved populations of women, such as lower-
income and minority women, and toward
women who are at-risk for autoimmune dis-
eases; and
‘‘(B) are carried out through community
health centers or other health centers under
section 330, through State or local health de-
partments, or through primary care physi-
cians.’’.
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