via National Women’s Health Network.  As a counter the dire reports that women are apathetic about the midterm elections, I’m passing along this reminder from NWHN:

“If you care about women’s health, you should also care about voting.  Here are just a few ways that tomorrow’s election might affect women’s health.

• Research on alternative treatments for hot flashes, safe and effective contraceptive methods for women of all sizes, and the best ways to prevent pre-term labor are all funded by federal research grants – some candidates want to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health.
• The FDA approved two new contraceptives this year after carefully reviewing the evidence of their safety and effectiveness – some candidates want Congress, not FDA to decide which contraceptives should be approved.
• Women who need abortions are more likely to have their abortion early in the first trimester, when it is safest, in part due to the availability of medical abortion using mifepristone – some candidates want to ban medical abortion.
• Many young women can now get health insurance coverage through their parents, thanks to health care reform – some candidates want to de-fund health reform.

If you care about women’s health, remember to vote tomorrow, November 2rd.  Start by checking out the candidates running in your district.  Find out what they think about women’s health issues.  If you need help figuring out which district you’re in, which candidates are running, and where your polling place is, check out the easy-to-use tool created by the League of Women Voters.  Let’s make sure we vote to protect women’s health on Tuesday.”

Our Bodies, Our Blog has an even more direct message — get out and vote!