Declare Women's Checkup Day

May 12, 2025, as Women's Checkup Day in the State of New York WHEREAS, Women's Checkup Day celebrates the extraordinary progress in women's health and recognizes that more needs to be done to safeguard the health of women for generations to come; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 12, 2025, as Women's Checkup Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Women's Checkup Day; and WHEREAS, Held annually on the second Monday in May, Women's Checkup Day focuses on the importance of regular checkups and doctor's visits, and encourages all women to take more steps to maintain better health; and WHEREAS, The history of women's health has been different from that of men for multiple reasons including social, biological, and behavioral factors; and WHEREAS, Traditionally, women have been at a disadvantage in terms of economic and social status, and this has affected their access to healthcare; multiple experts expound on the need to change 'women's health' to the term 'the health of women,' to broaden the focus around the health issues women face, which historically only put an emphasis on reproductive health; and WHEREAS, The health of women has also been impacted by the fact that women are underrepresented in most major research studies; however, countries like the United States and other Western nations are addressing this by setting up organizations and trials like the Women's Health Initiative; and WHEREAS, The turning point in this moment ran parallel to other international women's movements across the world; with the labor movements during the 20th Century in North America and across Europe, more and more women began demanding equality and parity, culminating in equal access to healthcare; and WHEREAS, In 2015, the World Health Organization identified the top ten women's health issues as being cancer, reproductive health, maternal health, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), sexually transmitted infections, violence, mental health, non-communicable diseases, youth, and aging; and WHEREAS, Women's Checkup Day's promotion of regular doctor visits gives women a higher chance of identifying underlying health problems and the ability to treat them on time; discussions between healthcare providers and women can also rule out certain problems and highlight others; and WHEREAS, By encouraging a healthy lifestyle, Women's Checkup Day allows women to take control of their bodies and inspire others to embrace healthy habits; furthermore, it can also reduce healthcare costs by taking preventative action in case of illness; and WHEREAS, Women's health remains a priority for families, communities and government, and our commitment to keeping women healthy is stronger than ever; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 12, 2025, as Women's Checkup Day in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.